5 Problems You Will Encounter Opening Your Hair Retail Store

Opening one store is a nightmare, what about opening three stores simultaneously?

These three stores are in Lithonia, Charlotte, and Detroit.

Where the amazing Angela Yee for The Breakfast Club is sharing her great business principles as we partner with each other for the Detroit location.

Dallas Christopher the international hairstylist and my partner in Private Label accompanied me on this hideous journey.

A lot of unpleasant surprises, underdelivered goals, and bad communication.

But after all, nothing beats the feeling of walking in a finished store where you witnessed all its construction.

It’s like seeing a nephew all grown up after a long time.

If you have been selling online for a while, opening a physical store might be a huge opportunity for your legitimacy if you put the right hair store budget before getting into the process of building it.

 

1- Finding the Perfect Spot

You need to be strategic about finding your store spot.

You don’t want to be in a hidden alley or an abandoned neighborhood just because it’s a convincing deal.

As we always say, traffic is one of the three pillars of e-commerce.

It’s inspired by the real world.

A store in the mall, a crowded district, or in a square. Is going to pay for itself even if it is really expensive.

Considering your hair shop should be near a hair salon in a safe neighborhood to get most of the female traffic in your area.

If not a hair salon, maybe clothing shops, or cosmetic shops.

Even near a couple of hair businesses wouldn’t be much of a problem, because after enough time, people head to this street for a variety of deals.

So, it becomes a landmark for hair.

2- Fighting High Quotes

I needed to build a partition wall in my Lithonia location.

I reached out to a constructor so I could get a quote.

But as Dallas said: I can build a small house in a village with this estimation.

Sometimes quotes get out of hand, it’s so crazy.

Inflation might influence the prices of materials and the welfare of workers, so they increase their rates.

But don’t get just a single quote.

Explore and weigh all the factors to work out your budget.

I even asked my friends on social media until I got this recommendation, and it turned out great.

3- Power Problems

When the contract starts with builders or handymen and the lease is counting down.

You want to make sure that everything is ready to work.

Even if workers hustled their way around the darkness of a power problem, it wouldn’t be as efficient and there is going to be delay, hence more costs.

In the Charlotte location, I had a problem with power, so I reached out to the service provider to explain that I called weeks ago to make sure it was on.

Apparently, they can’t turn it on from their side if the breakers are on in the store.

It took time, and it stalled some work, but it was good to know about the misconception.

4- Fire and Building Inspections

Before Angela Yee came to the Detroit Hair Showroom to check the amazing floor we had managed to put down.

There were supposed to be fire and building inspections.

In big cities, these inspections can be brutal.

Especially, if you’re not prepared for them and the contractor did half-cooked work.

But they won’t bother if you have a well-finished store.

The landlord should prepare you with the fire distinguishers you need and communicate the annual maintenance cost for them.

So, when the fire marshal arrives, everything will be under control.

And it’s good to know any hazard that you might have missed.

5- Setting-Up Security System

Despite the amazing floor and the wonderful ceiling.

The Detroit store had some security problems.

The security door for the storage room was really light and squeaking.

It annoyed me, as it wouldn’t matter if the wall was so strong if the entrance was one push away.

Set up your security system before storing any inventory.

The perfect plan will have an alarm system, a camera control, and a security door with a security bar.

Then you will need to hire a welder to ensure its durability.

That can cost up to $2000, but it’s worth it.

Not just for the inventory but for your stuff safety as well.

Also learn the Struggle of Designing a Hair Store!