Shabby chic; easy isn't it? Everybody can do that!

I've opened a shop.


My shop sells shabby chic stuff; things I've painted up in my own style.


Somebody said that that is lame, as anybody can paint stuff.


Well, yes and no really. Sure anybody can paint something. Slap it on! Job done.


Has it been done though?




In defence of shabby chic.


When done correctly, painting stuff to look care-worn is a right, Royal pain to do. For one it takes ages, and ages, and ages. Generally the piece you have is a bit tired, and needs the odd repair. The drawers don't run smoothly, a foot is missing, some trim is broken, or it needs new glass.


Can you repair fifty year old furniture? Your £10 chest of drawers, once repaired, now stands you £35. It's still tired looking.


The paint. Mine field this one. Chalk paint? Easy, use that. Except that stuff is thick paste that needs waxing. Wax plus one single tin of paint comes to £30. Shabby chic usually requires either two paint colours, or two waxes; call it £50.


The piece will need partial dismantling to paint. Hence space and time. Stories of chalk paint being dry in 20 minutes are slightly misleading. Paint it outside on a sunny day, sure. Paint it inside on a muggy, cold day and that 20 minutes? Call it 8 hours.




Then you wax it.


Aha, the dreaded waxing. What a pain to do right. Light colours often have dark patches. Dark colours are great, yet show lint from your lint free cloth. Use the wax sparingly? There will be lazy, thick spots for sure. Leave it a day to harden off and polish.


A day? Well more really. Chalk paint takes a month to go off. A full month.




The shabby chic bit.


How do you achieve the look of being worn through use? Sand it? So, so easy to go overboard with that. Use Vaseline? Messy stuff.




Right colours, wrong colours.


I like pink, blue or orange. Other people like grey, beige or green.


Until you decide to paint something to sell. You paint it beige, they think it would look better blue....




How long?


I painted an old bureau the other day. Had to dismantle it, and fix bits. That took just over an hour. Painting took two hours; four different colours you see. Reassembly 30 minutes. Waxing a good hour to ninety minutes. Really my whole day was spent doing up a £10 bureau that I can sell for, what, £65 on a good day?


Is your time worth only that much?

Fingle and Smudge opens a shop. Success?

Opening a shop.


It was an accident really. Had no intention of doing such. How did it happen?


Well I put some stuff onto eBay, really to get rid of it. Three chairs and a chest of drawers; £8 total sale price. They went, freed up space, so be it.


Two week's later I was in a shop in Dorking. There were my items, for sale at 25 times the price I sold them for. Two had sold.


Wife stated that there was more stuff at home to sell. My brain figured that I'd sold my old stuff too cheaply. Chatting to the owner - who recognised me - it seemed she was after people to rent out space.


At this time I wasn't interested. However, little seeds produce big trees. A few days later I 'phoned up and asked how much they rented space out for? It was less than I thought, so why not? I did; I rented out some space.

One week later; have I made a mint?


Nope, not at all. Indeed I've sold nothing and it is a bit stressful. What do I know about retail! Turns out nothing.


It's far, far harder than it looks. My products are all nice, shop quality items. They should sell.


On reflection it all looks a bit car boot doesn't it? My stuff was thrown in at the end of a day's trading and I've not dressed it at all. It's all dumped on the floor for a start. I've also hidden it behind a door. There's no love and even to my eye looks slightly cynical.


Turns out I'm rubbish at retail.




Am I giving up?


After one week? That would be mad. Also I've rented this space for six months....


Oddly enough I think if I'd sold something in the first week, I'd have assumed my strategy correct, and would have ploughed on with it. Then, when nothing ever sold ever again, I'd be bemused, and would probably walk away having learnt nothing.


Now I've screwed up right from the start, I know full well I've screwed up. Sure I can blame 100 things apart from me. Yet, well, it's me isn't it? I need to change the me bit, and learn.


Retail is tough. I kind of like it.