words // Zack Schlemmer
images compliments of VII Grand
Chances are if you’re reading this website, sneakers are your life, and ideally, you’d love to make a living off sneakers. There are many career options in the sneaker industry, but maybe your top pick happens to be opening your own shop. After all, being your own boss isn’t a bad gig. In the competitive niche market of sneakers and streetwear (the two usually go hand-in-hand when it comes to boutiques), not just any old shop can survive. It takes a lot of hard work, knowing the correct products for your audience, and great management skills to flourish in the often harsh world of sneaker retail. That being said, we’d like to offer a little help for those of you thinking about opening up your very own sneaker retail destination.
Mario Escalante, co-founder of Tucson, Arizona’s premier sneaker boutique VII Grand, drops some valuable words of advice on what it takes to open and maintain a successful sneaker shop. So listen up as Mario drops some knowledge on his own boutique expertise.
Patience!
It's going to be an exciting time knowing you're opening up a shop and you'll want everything to fall into place just as you envisioned, but unless you live in a perfect world, that's not going to happen. Between construction delays and brands not getting back to you, you have to stay positive and keep working through it all.
Network.
Go to as many events and trade shows as you can so you can start meeting more people in the industry. I've gotten great advice and made great friends from it myself, and if you're looking to pick up a brand, I think it's much better to meet face to face rather than through email. That one homie you bump into while walking the show could know someone at a brand you haven't been able to get in contact with. Next thing you know, you’re in the secret location drinking cocktails while getting shown the whole line.
It's always business, never personal.
This is probably the toughest part of being in charge! When it comes to that one brand that just isn't working out or that person you hired to perform a certain task that just isn't getting it done, you have to make the decision of having to part ways with them. It’s never easy. But your business always comes first.
The homie hook up.
Before I even got the keys to the shop I was already getting texts from friends and family asking me to hold Jordan XI's for them. You have to let them know you're trying to run a successful business and things like that become a distraction. If they're really your friends, they want to see you succeed, and they will understand.
Cater to your target market.
Stay in your lane and don't try and do too much. If you're not that kind of store don't try and sell that kind of product. If you have a private label, don't try to jump on the latest trends just because someone else was successful at it. We learned the hard way, and it led some to some pretty expensive mistakes.
Location Counts.
In our situation in Tucson, it's not a huge city so there's not much room for streetwear and/or sneaker boutiques. When we thought of what we wanted VII Grand to be, we wanted something Tucson had never seen before but at the same time something that the people have been wanting. We have top tier accounts with every sneaker brand we carry that nobody else in the entire state has, so that in itself separates us from everyone. Another thing to think about when choosing a location is what feel and look you are going for. I had been out to L.A. a couple times and I loved the vibe I got from boutiques in the Melrose and Fairfax district. It’s not the same experience you get from shopping in the mall, it's way better! So we got lucky and found something downtown which is both central and near the University of Arizona campus. The exposed brick walls, old wood floors and urban vibe were perfect for us. Truly take as much time as possible to consider the location, atmosphere and feel of your store.
Hard Work
If you're like me and this is your dream come true, this shop is now your baby and you want to watch it grow and become everything you expected it to be. So get ready to work harder than you've ever worked before. Things like placing future orders and managing relationships with every brand you carry, manning all of your social media accounts, and making sure your customer service as great as it can be will take more time than you might be expecting. You don't have a 9-5 anymore, it's now a 24/7. I was once told, "If you love what you do, then you'll never work a day in your life." I think that's BS! (laughs)
Visit the VII Grand website for more information on the shop.
See also: Interview // Derrick Williams & Mario Escalante Launch Streetwear Store VII Grand
