Open Your Own Christian Thrift Store

Start And Run A
Christian Thrift Store
Spread the Word and make money doing it.

by Rev. Kimberly Dreiman
All materials copyrighted

http://thedabblingmum.com/business/bizideas/christianthriftstore.htm

Thrift Stores are today’s shopper’s place of choice. People are always looking for bargains. Many people are on fixed incomes and have to shop where they will receive the best bargain and service. A Christian thrift store is a great way to witness for Christ and earn income at the same time.

Get Started
The first step in opening a Christian thrift store is to set up a monthly budget. If you don’t have enough funds set aside to run your business until traffic and sales pick up, your business will close before it’s had a chance to make a profit or help the community.

It can take up to five years for a business to show a profit. That’s why it’s essential that you find investment money to pay for rent, utilities, employees, products, supplies, and other miscellaneous monthly expenses. Liability and workman’s compensation insurance (if you hire employees) will also need to be purchased.

Decide What To Sell
The second step in opening a Christian thrift store is to decide what items you want to sell. While your store will focus around Christianity, it is best to have a wide variety of non-Christian items and a special section just for Christian-related items.

An informal survey is a great way to find out what people, in your area, are most interested in buying. A survey can be done by speaking with friends and family members, talking to other thrift store owners in the area, asking your church to set aside time to fill out a ballot or short five-question survey, or simply asking customers as they leave other stores (of course, you’ll have to get permission from the store owner for this).

Find Your Location
Once you’ve decided what to sell, you’ll need to find an affordable location to host your thrift store. The location is very important because customers want a store that is centrally located and has easy access for handicapped and/or disabled customers.

Parking is also essential because if you’re customers can’t find convenient parking nearby, they’re more likely to shop elsewhere.

Your thrift store should also have some type of display window. Display windows are great for attracting window shoppers.

Get Legal
As you open your Christian thrift store business make sure you follow the rules of your state and local community. This type of business can be a great witness for the Lord and lots of fun.

Once you’ve found your location, and secured the lease, it’s time to obtain a business license and a tax ID number. If you’re thrift store doesn’t carry your last name, you’ll also need a “Doing Business As” license. When picking a name for your thrift store, it is best to choose a name that is unique and easy to remember.

A business checking account will also need to be opened. Most banks will allow you to open one in your thrift store’s name when you show your business license, “Doing Business As” license, and your social security number or federal identification number. It’s essential to keep your store income and expenses separate from your personal account.

A business phone number is also important. With your business phone number you get a no-frills ad in your local yellow pages, but to really stand out, you need to have a small advertisement the yellow pages.

Buy Store Fixtures
Your thrift store will need shelving, clothing racks, a cash register, a tagging gun, hangers, shopping carts, baskets, and miscellaneous supplies. While some of these fixtures may come with the building you lease, many of them will have to be purchased on your own.

The smaller supplies can be purchased from Store Supply Warehouse in St. Louis, Missouri. The larger items can be costly to ship, so it’s best to find a supplier close by—one where you can pick up the items yourself. If funds are really low, you can ask local stores if they have extra shelving or racks to sell or donate.

Find Your Inventory
Stocking your store is the fun part. You can find many items for sale on e-Bay, in garage sales, by walk-in traffic (letting people know what items you are looking for), via auctions, and through classified ads like Blu-jay. While most of your inventory will need to be purchased, you can get items donated by becoming a non-profit organization.

Organize Your Thrift Store
The thrift store should be well organized so items are easy to find. Separating your items into specific areas within the store is a great way to help your visitors find what they are looking for—fast. Suggested areas are: children’s clothing, women’s clothing, men’s clothing, children’s toys, furniture, shoes, music, videos, and books.

Set Your Price
One thing to keep in mind when purchasing items for your thrift store is that you need to make a profit. You need to make sure that you can recover the price you paid for the item and still make a profit.

To get an idea of prices in your area visit consignment stores, Salvation Army Thrift Stores, and other for-profit thrift stores. When you first open, start by pricing your items for less than your competition. Once you become established, you can offer prices closer to your competition.

Keep Accurate Records
As your thrift store becomes stocked, you need to keep inventory of what you have in stock and what you sold. You need to know the cost of each item when you bought it and price the item was sold for. You need to know all income coming in and all expenses going out. Proper recordkeeping helps you file your taxes with the IRS, find necessary deductions, and it keeps you out of legal trouble.

Advertise Your Thrift Store
After you have chosen a name for your store and secured your location, contact area newspapers, radio stations, and television stations to let people know about your grand-opening. And don’t forget to hand out flyers around the neighborhood.

And don’t forget to check into the chamber of commerce in your area. In some communities, the chamber of commerce will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the store’s opening and present your store with a first dollar certificate.

Grand Opening
Opening day should be fun and festive. To help draw in traffic and attract customers, offer refreshments and in-store drawings for free prizes. Have someone pass out flyers and business cards to every potential customer. Take lots of pictures, and provide copies of those pictures, with a press release about your opening day, to the local media.

Add A Christian Twist
A great way to use a Christian thrift store to witness for the Lord is to have a certain place set up with a table and free coffee and cookies. Many times people who are hurting or lost will come into thrift stores to get their minds off their problems or to have someone to talk with.

On this table place gospel tracts, free bibles, and information about local churches. Gospel tracts and Bibles are available at no cost through many Christian organizations and websites.

Add a prayer box to the table. The prayer box allows people to sign up for prayer and keeps these requests confidential. Always be ready to listen and to share the good news of Jesus.

A great way to help the less fortunate, in your community, is to offer gift certificates with the intent of donating those gift certificates to local charities or kept at the store for someone who is in need. Gift certificates could also be used as gifts for birthdays and special events.

As your business grows, more opportunities will become available to witness for the Lord and to earn income at the same time. Don’t delay get started today with a Christian thrift store business.