When The Girl and I were in England a few months ago we passed a shop with a bunch of cute stuff in the window. We stood there a minute looking at everything in the window display and then decided to go in and have a look around.
The only thing was, when we went to open the door, it didn’t open. And that’s when we noticed the sign on the door, and had to laugh.
Not only was the gift store open just 4 days a week, it was only open for a grand total of 20 hours a week.
And for some reason, that made us laugh. I mean really, can you imagine having a shop and only being open 20 hours a week?
But then I was like… You know… If I had a store {which would probably be a rug hooking store} I’d only want to be open on the weekends… Maybe 10 – 5 pm. And so if I was only open 2 days a week {Fridays and Saturdays} that would mean I’d only be open for 14 hours a week.
Okay… now I get it.
But still. It still seems strange to want to go to all that effort just to be open for such a short period of time.
These are the things that rattle around in my brain. I mean, I took this photo months ago and I’m still thinking about it. I’m a weirdo, I know.
But seriously, if you had a shop, what would you sell, and what would your hours be?
I need to know.
~Mavis
Sharon says
Mavis:
Just two observations:
1. This isn’t a business; it’s a hobby;
2. If it IS a business, it must do a massive amount of sales on line.
J in OH-IO says
I’ve been told I should open a bakery, but I would be too stressed out to have to produce lots of baked goods and all the other stuff you have to do with running a shop. I also am “not a fan of the general public” so I would not want to have to deal with people. HaHa! I just bake for fun from time to time and enjoy sharing the goodies with others.
Anna says
I can so relate to this!!!
Rosemary Calhoun says
I have always dreamed of having my own shop and selling my crocheted/knitted/sewn creations. But when you think about how many days & hours you would need to be open, it didn’t seem like much fun. I would have probably been open at least 6 days a week from 10:00am till 6:00pm. Can’t really sell anything if the store is closed . . .
But now I am retired and the thought of getting up early and going to work just isn’t what I want to do . . . probably the biggest reason I retired!
Susie says
In my small town we have very few places to shop. One of my favorite gift shops (OK, our ONLY gift shop) started being open five days a week, 10-4. I had to WORK to get in there while they were open. Then the owner started a habit of posting on Facebook that she was running a little late, open at 12 or 1, or just not opening at all on the regular. Rather than hiring someone to sit behind the counter she was closing right and left.
Then days were cut, and just for giggles, I counted up the hours she was reportedly open for one month (based on her posted closures) – she was open less than 25 hours for the whole MONTH.
No surprise when she closed. She couldn’t have been making any money. It was a shame too, because she had terrific inventory and I really enjoyed shopping there.
Jennifer says
My first thought was it was a front for something. I wonder what they report on their taxes? Can you tell I read a lot and have no problem finding a complicated answer to what is probably a simple situation?
Helen says
My initial thought on the opening hours is simply its out of the main tourist season. Little or no local foot traffic before 10am or after 3pm and the operating cost of opening a souvenir /craft shop in the winter months especially now due to our on going energy crisis is probably not viable. Businesses pay far higher energy rates than domestic customers and receive no government support.
Mel says
There’s a barbecue place around here that is open from 11 am until they run out of food. That’s actually what it says on their site. I suppose that’s practical from a food waste point of view, but it makes it very tricky to plan a pickup order for dinner when they might be running low.
Deborah R says
We have a bbq place like that, only open Friday and Saturday, but you can order ahead.
Lana says
We have one of those, too and only open 3 days a week and they do a lot of business in those hours.
Elle says
Here’s one right up your alley. A bread bakery that opens at 1100 M-Sa. They make sandwiches and sell chips and cookies as well.
Open until it’s gone. There have been times I went at 1230 for a loaf of bread. CLOSED! I don’t think they have ever been open still at 4pm. The brothers that own it start working at 0300. So they work a minimum of 60 hours/week? Yikes!
Ashley Bananas says
If it’s a tourist area they are probably gauging their hours toward the highest trending times for when they have foot traffic. Why be open on Tuesday if they only get ten people? I get it. Also, the cost for employees has risen dramatically. We should get away from the 24/7 dynamic that Walmart has, and the 24/7 on demand of Amazon. Our expectations of other is often too high and judgmental. When Walmart and other stores shortened their hours of operation due to Covid, I remember going and missing them with their shortened hours several times. It was a culture shock, but a lot of stores are not going back to the 24/7 dynamic. People are retaining precious hours of their lives in stead.
Bec says
I’m thinking of opening up a stand this spring in our driveway to sell baked goods and a few crafts. We moved from a town where it wasn’t allowed at our home due to setback issues. Now we live in burb with a very active walking population. I’ll set things out in the morning with a drop box for cash and my venmo information and let it be the honor system. I have two littles and I won’t be able to monitor it. I’ve wanted to do this for years, but the combo of covid and two under 2 really has thrown me for a loop. Maybe by the spring my youngest will be napping well enough that I can actually break out my sewing kit!
KC says
I mean, if you have people who will buy your abstract paintings for $1000 each, it doesn’t matter so much if people online say “I wouldn’t pay $1 for that!” or “My gradeschooler could do better.”
So then it comes down whether the business is viable while open 20 hours a week, which it well might be if the shop is profitable enough and if those hours are *the* hours to be open, especially (or if they do a brisk online business, already own the building, etc.). They missed you as a customer – but they also didn’t have the costs of needing to hire someone to babysit the store all the hours that they’re personally not available, which add up.
It’s possible that situations have changed since they opened the store, i.e. the owner used to have grandparent childcare to cover getting-to-school and after-school hours and now due to covid or other factors they don’t – and in that case, it may mostly be a case of trying to keep losses as low as possible while juggling the life situation and trying to figure out alternate care options or find a reliable cashier or find a buyer for the business.
Or maybe everyone in town knows what hours they need to visit this shop if they want to find it open and just… works around that, such that they end up with most of their customers in a smaller babysitting-the-store window. It’s a mystery. (but if you got the address, you could probably contact the store and ask how it works.)
vy says
I want to own a used bookstore / coffee shop and my hours would be 2pm-10pm (maybe midnight Friday and Saturday) because that’s what I want! Plus there aren’t enough coffee shops (gathering spaces) open later for us night owls.
Brianna says
That makes sense to me. When I was in high school in the mid-late 90s, my friends and I would hang out at the coffee shops until they closed at 11. It was a cold town in the winter and there was not much for teenagers to do, but the coffee shop worked. I was saddened when I visited a few years ago to find no coffee shops open late and nothing for teenagers to hang out at without trouble. I have so many good coffee shop memories, because we actually talked and played games and hung out. My hair would always pick up the coffee aroma and smell so good when I got home….we we there that long!
Stacie says
We have a resale shop in town that benefits the animal shelter. It’s open 3 days a week for a total of 17 hours. We also have a shop that sells vintage furniture & decor and they’re open 5 days a week for a total of 20 hours. I guess it’s a thing?
If I had a store I would want to open a zero waste refill type store where you bring your own reusable bottles for soap, grain, etc refills. I’d be open Tues – Saturday 12 pm to 6 pm. I need the mornings to garden lol.
Linda Sand says
Mine would not technically be a shop; it would be a game room where people come to play board and card games. It would have been open weekdays 9-4 to get the morning moms, the early afternoon retired folks, and the after school kids. There would be a small admission charge but all games would be free. I probably would have a pay-what-you want coffee/lemonade counter but other snacks would be vending machines. Too bad I’m too old to do that now. I’m quite sure I would never have made any money on it but I would have enjoyed it.
Donna says
I came here to say something similar! We visited our daughter in Branson, MO, and she took us to a game cafe. You pay a minimal fee to stay as long as you want to play games. It was like a library, but instead of books on the shelves, there was every kind of game imaginable. They also have a coffee shop, so you could literally stay all day and have everything you need right there. There were families, friend groups, and couples on dates just having a great time.
AJ in Iowa says
Maybe they are trying to see if they can make this a growing concern before they quit their “day/night job”? And in reply to J-in-OH-IO, my thoughts exactly!
Lisa Gilkerson says
It would be antiques and daily specials. New choices everyday
Diana says
From 1986 to 1993, I owned an arts and crafts supply retail store. I worked 7 days a week for more hours than I like to think. The ‘official’ store hours were 10-8, but I went to pick up supplies before the store opened many mornings. We also held classes several nights a week and I was there until 10pm at the least.
In my best year, I barely eked out a living.
On the bright side, I made lifelong friends, my store became a meeting place of sorts, the kids classes were a blast. We had a ‘store birthday’ every year at Thanksgiving that lasted 4-5 days and it was so much fun. I would walk in the store each morning, grin, and say ‘let’s do it again’.
I cried when I closed it, but at the same time, I needed the rest and was relieved to move on.
The person who puts in so few hours must own the building and have another job to pay the bills. I don’t see how rent/utilities/merch could be paid and a living wage earned.
JulieP says
An awful lot of tourist towns here in the U.K. such as on the coast and the quaint villages that get footfall during the warmer months either close completely or reduce their hours November through to March. It’s just not generally viable to be open. A lot of people who ‘live over the shop’ continue to open for reduced hours but mostly they close completely. Only things that have a regular customer base such as bakeries and coffee shops will remain open. This has been the case for many years here but especially now with the running costs being so high.
Shelly says
It would probably be a hodgepodge of books, homemade candles or soap, yarn and a case for chocolate cake. It’s so hard to find a good, normal chocolate cake these days. As it is, I bake one once or twice a month and distribute it to my neighbors.
Amber says
There’s a local shop by me that sells a mixture of vintage and handmade items, as well as novelty items (like Funko Pops and things of that nature) that is only open Thursday: 12-5pm, Friday: 12-5pm, Saturday: 10am-4pm, and Sunday: 12-4pm. They use the other days of the week to redesign the store and set out new merchandise. It is ALWAYS a packed house there, too! It’s one of my favorite local shops.