LONG POST - PLEASE READ AND RESPOND!

We are excited to announce that this will be our 3rd "End of Year Holiday Season!"  Opening during the middle of the dreaded summer of 2020, we were very unsure that we would survive this long, so we are thrilled to still be here! And so far things look promising to begin our next year and reveal some upcoming improvements to the growth of the store and Studio.  Keep in mind there will be a lot of revisions to the initial plan, so bear with the changes, and let's see how it all pans out! 

Constructive Criticism is welcome! 

• Booth Changes & Opportunities

• Consignment Changes & Opportunities

• Studio Changes & Opportunities

 

Booth Changes & Opportunities:

As the store has evolved and grown, we have decided to take a new look at the overall store layout and booth location/floorplan and make some pretty drastic changes.

• Changes: The current thought process is to eliminate the set booth spaces and switch to an overall flow plan - more boutique-like.  This means your items may not necessarily be in the same spot for months at a time.  The thought is to keep most vendor items together as a whole, but we may move similar items into an "area of likeness"  An example of this could be jewelry.  All jewelry - handcrafted, vintage, direct sales, etc could be located in the Jewelry section.  Not intermixed with other vendors' jewelry, just in the same vicinity. "Booth Rent" will change to "Vendor Fee".  I am still working on the amount for this and want it to be a single fee for all, with a few exceptions.  Some of you will have to decide if an increase in monthly fees is of value to you, and some will see a decrease with the new plan.  I understand we may lose a few vendors, and although I will hate to see anyone leave, I do understand the economics of our type of business.  The base fee will land somewhere between $40 & $70 a month.  I want to be as generous with all of you as I can, while still making sure all of the bills are paid! 

• Opportunities: We feel many items are being overlooked just because of their location, or possibly the vendor only has one or two small pieces interspersed with other non-related items. 

 

Consignment Changes & Opportunities

• Changes:  While we will still have some consignment-only vendors, we will be encouraging more furniture consignments from all of our vendors.  The purpose is two-fold.  1) to be able to offer more versatile Vinette-style display options for the overall aesthetic of the store and 2) to allow current vendors to sell outside of their currently confined set floor space 

• Opportunities:  Bringing in small to medium-sized furniture will offer vendors a means to sell things outside of a set floor space more easily.  The items will be placed in a variety of locations and used as decor for the sales vignettes, to give buyers a better idea of the size and uses.  The other opportunity is that our Studio Artists may choose to purchase your items to upcycle and create an all-new look!  So we do not want to limit ourselves to high-end items only.

 

Studio Changes & Opportunities

• Changes:  New Artists joining the Studio.  We have a new artist reveal to announce in the near future, but that will have to wait! 🤫 We are super excited about the growth of the studio and anticipate this addition will offer as a fresh approach with better marketing of current and future projects.   We also have had a few of our vendors offer projects in the studio space for our customers and private groups.  All vendors are welcome to use our creative studio for projects and gatherings.  If you are a vendor and are interested in offering a craft/art project we are currently not charging a studio rent for any daytime activities.  There will, however, be a commission on all projects and sales during the event.  This will keep our calendar full of a wide variety of projects, and if there is low attendance, the vendor is not going into debt just by renting the space.  Evening and non-project-based events will incur a minimum $25 charge + commission for any sales of items.  Any interested persons should contact The Studios at Main Mercantile FB group page and send a message.

• Opportunities:  Another avenue of income for all current and future vendors.  More recognition from the Nixa area residents interested in local activities and arts involvement. 

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THANKS FOR READING ALL THE WAY THROUGH....PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT OR EMOJI THAT YOU HAVE READ OR QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION! 

I know some of the changes will impact some of our vendors to a degree that they may end up leaving.  I hope after all the dust is settled and we figure out the final plan, we can all come out still in this together!

We hope to make the formal transition in February, so if you are thinking you are not interested in the new plan, floor layout, or a rate increase, you have until January to give notice, so no need to do anything until after the Holidays! 🎁🎉

Change around here is expected and sometimes not easy to manage!  But for the longevity of our store, we feel this is the best time to make some improvements! 😁