There are a variety of reasons why people, like me, earn a consistent paycheck selling merchandise in an antique mall booth. My antique booth business has been profitable ever since I opened my first booth. During that time, I have experienced steady growth- going from one booth to more than twelve profitable booths! I attribute this success to the essential retail principles that I mastered during twenty years as a retail executive and corporate trainer. I have also learned quite a few “tricks of the trade” from operating my own antique booths. Here are some of the most practical ways to make more money with your antique booth business:

1. Become a better buyer

The best way to buy better products is to listen and learn from your customers. You can’t make a sale if you don’t have a customer! You may have wonderful, valuable items, but they are guaranteed to sit on your shelves and collect dust if they aren’t the right fit for your customer base. When you learn to connect customers with their wants and needs, you will experience sales growth like never before.

2. Design like the high-end department stores

We can all learn a lot from high-end department stores who perform extensive market research when designing their retail spaces. They design their stores to strategically guide you toward their most profitable items. They know how to curate stunning displays to engage the customer's imagination. They make sure everything is pristine, neat, and orderly. 

As small business entrepreneurs, you and I can equip ourselves with many of these same techniques, tricks, and best practices without hiring our own design experts. Sounds like a great excuse to go shopping, doesn’t it? Anyone want to join me for some “research”?

3. Map out your merchandising

Did you know that some things sell better just because of where you place them in your booth? Antique booth shoppers will typically walk past the front of your booth and scan it with their eyes before deciding whether to walk inside.

First, they will look straight ahead, Secondly to the right, and thirdly to the left. All the while, keeping their gaze at eye level. Think about these common customer behaviors when you merchandise- and ensure that these hot zones showcase your very best items.

4. Don’t forget your antique booth floor

When it comes to merchandising, you want to utilize absolutely all of your booth space. After all, you paid for it! Your floor is included in your space, so every antique booth dealer should have at least one rug for sale!

And, don’t stop there…do you have a ceiling? (Or can you make one?) Consider selling a beautiful chandelier or some model airplanes- the sky is the limit (literally and figuratively)! Use your space!

When it comes to merchandising, you want to utilize absolutely all of your booth space. After all, you paid for it!

5. Price properly and reduce routinely

Your booth may have some desirable and fabulous pieces, but when they aren’t selling month after month, you have to ask yourself, “Are my prices reasonable?” It is also important to adhere to a regular schedule of price reductions.

It is better to move items out and make some money than to host a variety of pieces that draw a crowd but do not sell. If you want to make money in this business, keep this foundational principal in mind: You are running a store, not a museum. 

6. Rotate and restock regularly

Customers want to see a variety of merchandise each time they visit your antique booth. If your booth always looks exactly the same, your “regular” customers will get bored and skip your booth entirely. Simply moving an item from top to bottom or left to right can create freshness, life, and excitement in your antique booth space.

It is also important to bring in new merchandise on a regular basis. Your loyal customers will want to shop in your antique booth often just to see “what’s new.” Some dealers keep things fresh by taking home items that aren’t selling and replacing them with different items. Later, perhaps with a seasonal change, dealers can introduce those same items back into their booth. 

7. Sign strategically

You won’t always be in your booth while customers are shopping. If you were, you could answer their questions about, “Is this Art Deco?” or “Is this an original piece or a reproduction?” Your signs and price tags should speak to your customers in your absence. For example, “Art Deco- from my grandfather’s collection” or “Hardware from the historic Beverly Hills Hotel.”

In the resale business, it is also helpful to call out the condition of products. For example, “Tested and works well!” or “As Is- Scuff on right side.”

One more thing to keep in mind in the category of “signage” is to be sure that your tags and signs represent your high standards and the professional image you are trying to portray. In other words, avoid anything sloppily hand-written or otherwise unprofessional looking. You are running an antique booth not a yard sale! If you want to sell items for yard sale prices, that’s another story… I do not!

You are running an antique booth not a yard sale!

8. Prevent theft

In any retail business, there are the associated factors of shrink and loss. There will be items stolen, damaged, or misplaced within the antique mall. We would be naïve to think that it won’t happen to us, but you can absolutely put preventative measures into practice. Security cameras, theft-deterring signage, mirrors, and other theft deterrents will have that shoplifter walking right on by. Reducing loss will ensure that you get to keep more of those hard-earned dollars!

9. Market your antique booth on social media

Your business’s social media presence can help you to locate, interact with, and even sell to potential customers. Connecting with local groups can also really boost your business. Did you know that there are organized groups for collectors of all kinds on social media? Stamps, coins, buttons, marbles- if you have some of these niche items to offer, get out there and find your customers!

10. Compel customers to come back

One of my favorite childhood ice cream shops had a sign on the exit door that said, “See you tomorrow.” Believe me, I wish that I could have visited that yummy shop every day! As small business retailers, we not only have to think about today’s sales, but also about what we can do to gain business tomorrow. Maybe we could hang a sign like my ice cream shop? Obviously, we can’t sell them Rocky Road or Cookies-‘n’-Cream, but we can offer them something wonderful. Whether it is unique merchandise, reasonable prices, or exceptional service, make sure you can offer them something that will keep them coming back for more.