Starting my own tack shop

meandmyself

meandmyself

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19 February 2006
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Now, this is still a pipe dream. I've seen a fantastic little shop that IMO would be ideal. It's in a village with a livery yard, a few private horse owners, and a small stud.

The closest tack shop is about ten miles away. There is a pet shop a five min drive away, but the stock is very limited, and I don't think they carry any horse stuff.

I'd carry a range of tack, feed, grooming and vet supplies, and maybe a dog range too (lots of dogs in this area)

Any idea, input or comments please!
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i think if you're prepared to do lots of internet/mail-order stuff too, which i'm sure is a huge winner if your website is slick and you can keep up with orders, etc, then why not?
is there room for dog grooming too? our village pet shop does dog grooming, always seems to be busy doing that.
 
Yep, I'd do internet/mail order too- seems like most people use that now.

It has office space upstairs- I could use a room of that for dog grooming. Thanks for the ideas!
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i know of someone whos flogging £2,300 of stuff for £950 ono from what i gather its really good stuff! pm if u want number!
 
I think a bit of market research might be needed. 10 miles away isn't that far for another tackshop, so unless you can tap into different products, or specialise in some areas it may be difficult to be competitive
 
Friend who ran a Tack Shop for a short while stocked Farrier products (shoes, nails, tools etc ) for Farriers only of course, and that went down well as a lot buy via mail order and have to therefore pay for delivery.

Rug washing and repairs? Or option to take them in and send on for a professional service.

Tack and rug repairs? Or leather repairs to include handbags and boots as well?

Perhaps you could use your upstairs bit for a Registered Saddle Fitter cum professional saddler? They can do the saddle fittings, repairs and made to measure requests which will draw people into your shop, and this person will get work via your shop too, so a win win situation.

Just some ideas..
 
Lovely idea but agree with Mother Hen about the market research. You need to take a good look at all the other suppliers in your area at what ranges they are stocking, it is no good having the same stuff. You will also need to look closely at the type of area your shop would be in, do you have people with more disposable income looking for higher end luxury goods etc, you need to be able to differeniate from your competitors and make your shop special to attract clients. Good luck.
 
Make sure you investigate the start up costs to do it properly and can afford it. I looked into setting my own tack shop up about 3 years ago and it would have required a lot more start up cash than you would think....
 
I currently have my own retail tack shop, plus an internet and an e bay shop.
I started from literally nothing 2.5 years ago and it is becoming established nicely.
It hasnt been easy and has at times been very demanding and stressful. You have got to keep up to date and change stock reguarly, carry a varied range and it is vital that you can give advice and be friendly and helpful.

ps-You will need a good bank balance
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I love my shop though and its great talking horses-ALL day!
GOO LUCK!!
 
i was looking to open a tack shop last year, i did some research and came up with: there is plenty of local yards, 6 miles to nearest tack shop which is very well established, i didnt have enough knowledge if people needed advice on products, i couldnt stock saddles as not enough room, after considering these main points i didnt go ahead. do your research well and good luck.
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Thanks everyone.

Yep, I'd need to do more market research. That's okay- I'm making a list of local yards, riding schools and such now. What do you think the best way to do it is?

I've spoken to a few people today who live in that area and would love a place to buy dog stuff. Mainly OAPs who don't drive, or mums with kids who don't want to bother getting the car out to buy dog food.
 
Bear in mind that many good tack shops, long established and popular, have closed down due to Internet shopping. Unless you are big, can order in large amounts £ wise at a time, can get a huge variety of goods, and remember that the cheap stuff that Lidl, Tesco etc sell cheap, are he bread-and-butter goods,
Many very poular brands will only allow you to order products in loads of £several thousand at a time.

Think hard and good luck if you decide to go ahead.
 
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