Let's do the numbers

As my radio voice crush, Kai Ryssdal, says every day on Marketplace: Let's do the numbers.

I sat down with my spreadsheet tonight to see how I really did my first month as an antique booth owner.  Since I had decided that owning an antique booth must make me some profit (meaning $1 after paying rent), I vowed to keep track of my items - in other words, how much I originally purchase them for, how much they sell for and what the fees are.

So, after adding up all the numbers, this is what I found:

My total sales: $283

 

Wholesale price (what I originally paid for the items): $35.29

 

Fees deducted (credit card fees, sales tax and dealer discount): $16.83

 

Booth rent: $85

 

Profit: $145.88

 

 

Ok, this might not seem like a big number, but I exceeded my first goal, which was to make enough to cover rent!  So the fact that I made a profit is a huge success for me!  And my husband, who initially was quite sceptical of my new adventure, is very relieved and actually a little bit impressed that my new hobby does not cost money, but actually makes money.

 

 

My entrepreneurial spirit has been fueled. I have already started looking at upgrading my booth to a larger one, and the other day, the owner said that one of the perimeter booths are coming up for rent in a month.  I like this place, and the fact that they don't charge commission is a big bonus in my mind. Should I stay put for a while and not push my luck or upgrade to a "real" space with wall and floor space as well...? 

 

I close with two types of buckets I found last week.  The wood one is for shoe shining stuff and the yellow vinyl one is for ice.  I just love the contrast and that they are both currently in my booth.  How cool it is to marry these buckets in one place - nothing beats an antique market!