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How We Got This Far
Thank you for finding our little embryo
of a web site, SputniksStation.com.
We have been in business in the brick and mortar kind-of-way for 3 years
now, finding it easier to do things backward than forward, and feeling
overwhelmed with the desire to have a nice web site, rather than just a
web site.
In 3 years, Sputnik has made at least a small dent on the Atlanta area
market for mid-century modern things, especially funky lamps and vintage
fabric.
Our intent all along was to be primarily a
web-based business with the store serving as buying/shipping/meeting
space. What you see here now is only bound to get better and better,
electronically and brick-and-mortar-wies, too.
So Many Follies Along the Way
Getting here has not been easy. We knew nothing about retail, but we love to learn, so, so what?
Plus,
20008-2010 have been the worst years of the worst economic downturn
since the great depression. Not many new retail ventures have been
lauched lately. Again, so what?
And of course, even though we
know the Internet is the thing in retail, we rented spaces in
brick-and-mortar antique malls instead. We plan to have both in good
time.
So Many Malls, So Little Time
Roswell
is Home. We started with one space in an antique mall in old Roswell,
Georgia. People loved our things and we had great expectations;
unfortunately that arrangement ended in disaster over an argument about a
basket of puppies--go figure. This one is such a long story, you will
just have to wait for my novel.
The
Queen of Hearts in Alpharetta, Georgia. Then we went to another antique
mall and dropped a fortune setting up. We got professionals to paint
an amazing store design, then bought shelves and fixtures to display
everything nicely. Everyone raved about our stuff, they brought their
sisters from afar and their sons who, are really into this stuff, just
to see it all. Still, our sales approached zero every month. We
finally figured out we were a museum of great things that people loved
to see. However,in such an affluent, conservative community, people
bought traditional and only traditional.
Atlanta
and Decatur. Then we split our merchandise into two groups and moved
into two very different places. To one of them, 14th Street Antiques
Market in downtown Atlanta, we took our high end furniture. To the
other, Kudzu Antiques in Decatur, Georgia, we took our vintage fabric
and great lamps.
We were well received by shoppers in both
locations and sales slowly increased, but never enough to cover basic
costs. We had an advertising plan, but never implemented it because we
were continually moving from space to space within these stores. We did
not do what we needed to do because our time was spent commuting from
home to store to store, and continually moving and re-arranging the
display spaces.
Home Again, Home Again!
Then
we stumbled upon City Antiques in Roswell, Georgia. Frank and Lisa
Mack, seasoned retailers were just starting a new business right in my
hometown. No commute! Plus, the comraderie among dealers here makes us
feel like part of a team. We feel welcomed in our own hometown
(clearly we are not meant to be prophets). We dropped our investment
elsewhere and moved everything home. Here we will stay.
On
Google, we call ourselves Sputnik's Station at City Antiques. We have
set everything up just the way we want it (by now, we know how) and if I
must say so myself, it is a beautiful store. If you are anywhere in
the Atlanta area, it is worth the trip to Roswell just to see it (even
though Roswell has much more to offer, too).
SputniksStation.com
Now
our focus goes to the web and marketing, things we should have been
doing two years ago. But that is water under the bridge. We will start
anew today because today is what we have.
We hope that you like what you see. We would love to hear your comments and suggestions.
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