September 14, 2013

Hosting Your Own Op-Shop


Not too long ago I had the instant urge to literally go through the large amounts of clothes I brought with me to Australia (not to mention the clothes I've accumulated since being here) and get rid of them all! I mean, rationally, I'm going home in 2 months where clothes are actually affordable so I'll just get a whole new wardrobe... right? After I had my tantrum and my clothes were scattered all over the floor, I decided that I could probably get some money from a few items. I asked my husband, Micah, if he had anything he wanted to sell and he ended up having a TON. This is when I got the genius idea to host an op-shop. Basically a thrift store with college kids where we can sell our clothes, shoes, accessories and knick knacks for super cheap for the other college kids to buy! Everyone wins! 

Today was the day for the op-shop and it was a SUCCESS! Everyone who had a booth sold at least something and all in all it was such a chill time just hanging out in a super cool garage with a bunch of lovely people. I got asked to share the process and planning so that future students could host one in a few months, so... here ya go!

First things first, gather your team.
I hand picked 15 guys and girls that I thought would have some nice stuff to sell, who were all different shapes and had a variety of styles to offer. Of course there were a few who couldn't sell due to prior commitments but better to have more than enough than not enough.

Next, create a Facebook group.
This is the ideal way to communicate to your sellers. Ask who has a house that would fit a lot of people.

Lay down the details.
Each seller had their own booth. So, I told them that they had to create a booth to attract your own customers. When customers come to your booth, they buy from you then, not at the end of their rounds. SO PULL THEM IN! Decorate, bake... do whatever you have to do to attract people.

Make a "max price".
For us, we had a max price of $10 and we made sure to advertise it! That way, everyone knows that if they only have $10 in their pocket, they'll be able to afford something

Set a date and time.
Think of a date that works for everyone. If you choose a Thursday or Friday morning... chances are people will either be at work or school. Saturday from 12pm-4pm worked awesome for us.

Advertise the HECK out of it.
If you're good at graphic design or can slap some words on an Instagram photo, spam the details of your op-shop all over social media! And get your group to invite and spam it as well. You'll want o start advertising about 2 weeks in advance. That way people won't be annoyed from hearing about it for an entire month but it's not too late for them to make plans to come. Other ways to get the word out are fliers at the local grocery store, signs in the neighborhood, creating a Facebook event and even just by word of mouth. Get your entire group invested and involved.

Lastly, be creative!
Each seller decorated their space so nicely. Even people who didn't buy anything commented on how amazing the place looked. Think ahead on how you're going to decorate and think of creative ways to display your small treasures. When you create a creative environment, it will inspire people to spend time there (and buy yo stuff). Also, think about the music and maybe some treats for people to buy. We had a girl selling baked goods and they went SO fast! Think outside the box and don't forget to capture it. The best part of the day was at the very end when we were packing up all of our leftover stuff, we (the sellers) just broke out in a random clothing swap. We were trading shoes for bags. It was awesome! It wasn't planned but it's a great idea if you have a bunch of left over clothing at the end of the day to save you from lugging it all the way back to your house. 

Let me know how you go at your op-shop! 

2 comments:

  1. I looove this! Can we please do another one when you're back!!

    ReplyDelete