Why I stopped selling at local markets...
Hello Friends! It has been quite a while since I set up my pop-up market! Since the last weekend in August 2021 to be exact. Here's why: living in LA is expensive! LOL
Okay but in reality, it just wasn't paying the bills. I have to pay the cost of the booth, gas to get there, product costs... I was making near nothing for an 11 hour work day at my usual Saturday flea market. I had to pack up my car (40 minutes), drive to the market (20 minutes), set up (1.5 hours), sell for 8 hours with no help plus the packing up and going home! When I took a bathroom break or went to get food I didn't have anyone to stay at my booth and watch product let alone sell it. It was just TOO MUCH! I was getting by but it was not sustaining my bills and my business. So I had to stop selling at markets and now I am selling ONLINE! Long story short: I had to get a full time job, and Naked Slate is now my side hustle until I can make it my full time business! I know I have some details I need to work out like branding and marketing that will help me grow in a HUGE way! So it may take a while to get where I'm going since I have to work full time on top of this... But it will be WORTH IT!
I am sticking to my values: FEMALE OWNED BUSINESSES, if it isn't made in the USA, at the very least it is DESIGNED IN LA! And everything I sell has to be AFFORDABLE without sacrificing QUALITY! Just a couple weeks ago I received a sweater that I had to return to the wholesaler because the design was cute and the sales photos looked fantastic but... it looked terrible in person! I'm not about to sell that to anyone! I try to keep the same quality in vintage items even though its much harder to find!
The reason I am writing this is because I got a little discouraged for a while, and I thought I would have to give up my business. But I am not giving up! I actually just signed up for a night market on April 15th, called Odd Nights at the Autry!
Market starts at 6 PM and I hope to see you there!
I will keep pushing and using all my spare time to build my business and bring you beautiful clothes! Thank you for cheering me on, ordering from my small business that also supports other female owned businesses, and for growing a community of empowered women! I am really excited to grow my business this year and bring my dreams to life! Who knows, maybe I will have a little storefront someday...
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for supporting my small business!
With Love,
Amanda