The Specialty Shop: How to Create Your Own Unique and Profitable Retail Business

At some point in their lives, many people fantasize about running a shop of their own. But while many of them actually do open their own shop, only about a quarter of them will succeed. Every year, nearly two million small specialty shops open in the U.S. alone, and more than 500,000 go out of business. The Specialty Shop shows readers how they can establish a business that they are passionate about and that will also be profitable for years to come.

Dorothy Finell has traveled the world in search of fascinating, creative, and successful shops. In The Specialty Shop, she describes more than 37 of them, including bakeries, gift shops, toy stores, book shops, tea houses, clothing boutiques, and even unique shops like Papier-Maché, a mask shop in Venice, Italy and The Carmel Doll Shop in Carmel, California. Based on interviews with shop owners, Finell offers advice on everything new shopowners need to know, from pre-planning, décor and display, finance, and customer service to marketing and community relations. She also includes appendices on trade and gift shows where shop owners can find the merchandise they need. Filled with lively vignettes and beautiful photographs, The Specialty Shop will show prospective owners how to open the shop of their dreams and nurture their business into a success.