My in Home Boutique, all the DETAILS!!!

I have had many questions about my boutique I had in my home in April, I hope I can answer them here.

 {HOW IT ALL STARTED}

 I love picking, I know I sound crazy but every Friday I sit down and plan out what garage sales to hit first and what Flea Markets to go to, after awhile of doing this every weekend you collect things, lots of things and I was running out of room for my fun finds.  I have many crafty friends so I decided why not all get together and have a boutique.

{SUPPORT SYSTEM}

I was overwhelmed by the support I received from my family, neighbors, followers and friends.  It was great to see old friends and make new ones.  I couldn't have pulled this off without everyones help and support.  They say it takes an army and believe me it does.  This boutique would not have been a success with out everyone's help, and yes that includes those who came to buy!

{HOURS}

Since this was my first boutique I wanted to make sure the boutique was open long enough to allow for word of mouth since this was my first boutique, so I had longer hours Thursday 4-6 Friday 2-8 Saturday 10-8.  If I were to do it again I would just do Friday from 4-8 and Saturday from 10-2.  Those were the busy times and seemed to be the times that worked for my area.  If you doing one in your area I would experiment and find out what times work best for you.

{ADVERTISING}

1. Facebook-I was amazed at the support I received from Facebook.  3 weeks before the boutique I took the time to feature each vendor on my page, as all my vendors were handcrafted, I wanted the consumers to have an idea of what to expect.  2 weeks out I launched my ad and did a giveaway for cash to spend at the boutique for sharing the ad.  I reached over 5000 people.  A huge thank you to all who shared and helped spread the word.
2. Flyers-I had 500 flyers printed which were handed out by myself as well as the vendors.  I papered the doors of my neighborhood and surrounding homes.
3. Signs-I posted signs all over the city with balloons attached to them.  I used arrows and included my address to help send people in the right direction.
4. Classifieds-I also post my boutique in the local classifieds as well as other sites

{VENDORS}

My vendors were all handcrafted, as I wanted this to be a one of a kind boutique.  I made sure we were all selling different items as to not directly compete with each other.  One major thing I learned about an in home boutique is make sure your vendors are local.  My local vendors pulled more customers than vendors who had traveled further.  Also the local vendors were a great asset when it came to advertising.  There was an exception tho one of my vendors who traveled far didn't bring many customers with them but my customers loved their stuff, HUGE BONUS.  I did require my vendors to be here and man their own area, I didn't want to manage their money and be responsible for lost or stolen items.  I charged $20 a vendor, all that money when to advertising.

{FAMILY}
Where did I hide my family you ask?  They were part of it too!  My 4 year old sold chocolate covered marshmallows, my baby wandered around, and my husband tolerated his house being taken over.  They were all good sports, shorter hours next time would defiantly make this end of things easier too!



I am glad I had a boutique in my house, overall it was a success.  I learned a lot, met a lot of new friends, caught up with old friends, and learned what it means to truly support someone or something.  I have a new respect for those in charge of events and know how important my support and involvement is.  Thank you again to everyone for your support!!

Brooke