opening a tack shop

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zundert

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Looking for any info with regards to opening a tack shop. I have premises and one supplier I am struggling to find other suppliers so any help with that would be great. I love the name the stable door but found other retailer with it so name suggestions would be good. Any othrr info greatly appreciated.
 
Have you really investigated this? Tack shops are closing down all over the place, as many people buy through the internet now. The go down to the tack shop, have a try on or look at what they want, see what the price is, and then buy it cheaper on-line.
 
I have asked many people regarding this and they look forward to a local tack store and only shop online due to lack of retail outlet. Every venture is a gamble.
 
Personally I hate the fact that in South Yorkshire there are no proper tack shops to actually go to - I want to see the quality of stuff, I don't want to pay postage on liquid stuff, when I break something I don't want to wait 3/4 days to get it
In Lincolnshire we were spoiled so it would appear.

OP - go and visit lots and see what you like and don't like, ask your mates, selling feed is a great ideal if you can store it, shires are normally pretty good so think about manufacturers you'd like to stock and call them
 
My friend opened a tack shop a couple of years ago and didn't make it through the year. The main problem she found wasn't custom but was the bigger shops such a ride away demanding exclusivity in the area from suppliers so it was very difficult for her to stock the range of brands that people look for
 
Unless you are planning a huge venture I think you will struggle .
We do still have a tack shop in our local town .
It's got a great position in a town with lots of locals and tourists very near to where people walk into the town from the biggest tourist attraction in the area but the reality is it's a clothes shop with some tack they are principally selling clothes and outdoor footwear , and are carrying a fortune in stock .
 
The only thing that people need tack shops for now days is food and bedding. My local shop opened last year and is doing really well, because they invested all their time and money into getting a shed full of food and bedding - little extras like head collars and brushes etc came after and they are minimal. They also underpriced the local farm shop who did shavigns and normal foods like cool mix or stud mix.
 
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Maybe in my area they still prefer to shop instore, I know a lot of people at the yard I am at and surrounding yards that still travel a distance to buy from tack stores...... although I do accept your suggestions
 
The tack shops near me are thriving! Every time I go in there are other customers. She sells feed, bedding rubber mats and the usual supplements and headcollars etc. in addition she has a second hand section where she takes a commission for what she sells. It's amazing in there- like an Aladdin's cave in there. Love it. Way better than paying ebay's extortionate postage or waiting for an item you don't even know will be of good quality.
 
Thanks for your positive replies I am looking to do workshops for kids amongs other things that normal tack shops dont offer.. I have also looked at rug cleaning and working with a saddler for repairs and fitting...I wont be massively stocked but have quality items also items that can be personalised... I know its a gamble but if you dont believe then you have immediately failed...
 
zundert said:
Thanks for your positive replies I am looking to do workshops for kids amongs other things that normal tack shops dont offer.. I have also looked at rug cleaning and working with a saddler for repairs and fitting...I wont be massively stocked but have quality items also items that can be personalised... I know its a gamble but if you dont believe then you have immediately failed...
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Yes go for quality..BUT...I would suggest you try and in invest in a MASSIVE range i.e. so you can become the onestop for almost EVERYTHING, plus keep the prices down. this is what i find chain stores tendto lack ..my local tack shop which I love does all of the above and stock pretty much everything and anything as a result they are thriving and just moved to bigger premises
 
zundert said:
Thanks for your positive replies I am looking to do workshops for kids amongs other things that normal tack shops dont offer.. I have also looked at rug cleaning and working with a saddler for repairs and fitting...I wont be massively stocked but have quality items also items that can be personalised... I know its a gamble but if you dont believe then you have immediately failed...
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Rug cleaning and repairs, and an in house saddler for made-to-measure items and repairs are the only reason I will go into a tack shop rather than order online. ETA - one of my favourite saddleries has a tailor and widerange of high end off the rack clothing brands as well. So really a saddlery that is more of a service than a tack shop that retails other manufacturers products. And yes, I will pick up stuff like shampoo and grooming products from the feed supplier if I am there rather than online, but I prefer to buy actual tack from someone with specialised knowledge.

Cafes and kids workshops and stuff like that (and note that personalised items, depending on what they are, can be bought online very cheaply) wouldn't induce me to go into a store if I can get what I'm after cheaper online, sorry, the point of difference for a store (over an online ship) for me is expertise and specialised knowledge.
 
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New small shop opened near me -- they have a large stock but not enough storage for feed. however their location is very convenient with easy free parking and so they are now falling into a good pattern with the local owners, buying in the specifics that are needed in any given week plus a few extra for walk-in customers. Their tack stock is great and very cheap, making it a better alternative than fancier shops out of town. The owner told me a lot of people come through the door but don't spend much money. I've been in a couple times, but so far only spent a total of about £50 there on smaller items. I love to browse, but no one will ever make a living off my browsing. Having said that, now the feed situation is sorted, he is doing very well ... there is no other shop like it within easy access, so if you're in a similar niche location then you will probably having no troubles as all. Good luck!

(in a not so good location - awkward for parking, a similar shop down the road had only lasted 10 months because although always full of people, they only ever spent £20-£40 at a time or less on "things" they needed ... Higher value items such as rugs remained on the shelves as people wanted different brands, models, sizes, colours ... and there wasn't enough warehouse room to stock all that. they never managed to get their feed stock quite right, didn't reserve items correctly for the lack of stock. So if I had a bag of e.g. outshine to pick up on the friday, it wouldn't be unusual if they'd sold in on the thursday because someone wanted one. So obviously with that lack of reliability people ended up driving out of the town to the bigger shops with decent stock).
 
My local tack shop also carry out leather work repairs to a very high standard. They also offer a rug repair and cleaning service. Super handy when you have a rug wrecker! They also value and sell second hand tack on behalf of customers and take a commission. It's only a small tack shop but have been around ages and still seem to be surviving. I think these sort of add ons aside from the products are what draws a lot of people in.

Good Luck :)
 
My local tack shop seems to extend their premises every couple of years as they're doing so well. They have a rug wash / repair lady next door who isn't part of them but gets people in. They also have a girl that repairs / makes tack. They have a loyalty scheme too. I know some members on here do very well when the vouchers come out - mentioning no names Copperpot and BeckyD :wink3:
 
Finding suppliers should be easy but they will expect you to pay for your first order in advance of shipping and also following orders unless you can satisfy their criteria for a credit account. Some may already have exclusive distributors within your county but it should be the minority.

A cost you might not have thought of will be all the display gear you will need.

Do your maths and work out what you need to spend to be set up for stock coming in. It won't be cheap. Then see what you have left over and decide what products you can buy.

Can you do a mobile tack shop?

Good luck, whether it takes 5 months or 5 years, or more, hang onto your dream. Just be ready to be realistic enough to let it go, even if temporarily, if it is plainly obvious you can't make it work or pay.
 
You do need decent sized premises; as above stock is key. Also sell online if possible; most of the shops I purchase from online actually have a physical presence somewhere, just not near me.

My " local " tack shop is Ingatestone and it does really well due to all of the above; feed and bedding being sold cheaper than local competitors; range of mid-priced items, saddler, rug repair &wash, clipper sharpening etc etc it has free parking and a ménage for saddle fittings. It has expanded several times due to business expanding. It has a really well known cafe which even non-horsey people visit (often get builders in there and have to queue on weekends).
 
I am working with a business advisor so he is not leaving anything out i even need to account for a light bulb. I am looking to arrange with yards where they will allow me to be mobile on there premises also travel to shows, while my daughter tends to the shop... the shop is of good central location with ample parking....
 
On site clipper blade sharpening, most tack shops take them and send them off. For me who clips a lot and leaves it till the day before I have 5 to clip and all blunt blades this would be very handy!!! I recently did find somewhere that does it onsite and had to drive 50 minutes to get there. Still better than sending all my blades off for a week!!
 
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