View Full Version : Starting a shop for readings. Need input.
Grizabella
20-08-2004, 13:31
I've set it as my goal to open a little shop where I can give tarot readings sometime in the next several months. Nobody in my town is doing this, so I'm asking for some input on how to decorate the shop, what kind of atmosphere to go for, etc.
I'm also thinking that I'd like to make candles, tarot bags, spread cloths, and a few other things to have for sale in the shop. Maybe tarot jewelry, too.
Is it helpful to "look the part" somewhat?
All feedback I can get here will be very helpful to me and I thank you all in advance.
I've done searches here but I must not be putting in the right terms because I come up with tons of threads to try to sort through and a whole lot of them aren't really what I need. I've tried using a several word phrase, shortening it to fewer words, using one word-------and I'm just not able to put in the time to try to find all the input that I know is here, so I'm asking for it this way.
Look the part, yes. But don't overdo it...
Be a bit somber, have incense and lots of fabrics and tarotimagery but present it in an approachable way.
Maybe even have two different settings for readings. One more secluded for those private readings and one a little more open and light for the "giggly" and curious querents.
Or have drapes that can be drawn or left open using the same table.
Most important is that YOU feel at home there. That would not only make you more capable in the readings but also make it visible to those that came in that you do belong there and they are visiting You and not merely your shop.
Why not choose one or two favourite decks and let the decor be inspired by them.
Spreadcloths, bags and other little tidbits that go with tarot would be great to have there, and maybe also a selection of decks? A selection of books eventually and little addons like pens and fancy journal-books and crystals and decorative items and stones and... Oh, getting carried away here but I think you get the point.
Start small and expand on items that you feel would "hit home" with the crowds.
Grizabella
20-08-2004, 14:50
Those are all great ideas. I like the curtained off area idea for the more serious or seasoned querents. And journals and crystals and things, too. Thanks for the quick response.
I was going to inquire about buying cards wholesale from US Games, but didn't get anywhere because you need a tax ID number to even ask and I haven't gotten one of those yet. Maybe I'll just keep my eyes open for very gently used decks, cleanse them and re-sell those to start out with.
I really like the curtain idea. I was in a cool store yesterday and their privacy curtain (so you could try on clothes) was made out of a few tapestries that had binder hooks at the top and then a small pipe around. It worked really well. This could also add a little mystery! What is behind the curtain.........
Is it helpful to "look the part" somewhat?
Yes! Please look like a nice shopkeeper! Please don't perpetuate the madam zsa zsa tealeaf reading, bandana wearing, bangle laden woman that gives us all a hard time to live down ... unless you look like that already :)
What a wonderful idea! I wish you much success.
Don't forget to stock up on some Tarot books as well, like Eco74 (why 74) says. You will also need to sell pendulums. People love pendulums.
Originally posted by Diana
Eco74 (why 74)
Plain little Eco was taken so I had to make something up.. Took the year of my birth so it'd make some sense atleast.
Worst bit is noone is using the name though. It just sits there, registered and abandoned.. :(
shelikes2read
24-08-2004, 12:57
I saw a card-reading shop on the Atlantic City (New Jersey, USA) boardwalk a few weeks ago. Actually, there are several such shops, but this one drew my attention because my friends and I had stopped at the ice cream shop next door for a snack.
The first thing I noticed was that the waiting area was appointed in a way that was pleasing to the eye. The colors were light and airy, and there were some nice light fixtures in place to keep the place looking bright instead of spooky.
The storefront was all clear glass, and there was a waiting area where people could sit down. There were also three booths where, I presume, the sitters could go in with a reader (whose name was hung over the booth) and the ivory-colored curtains could be drawn.
But what troubled me was that there appeared to be NO ONE sitting there keeping an eye on the door to see who was walking in and waiting. There are casinos nearby, and while the area isn't flat-out dangerous, a person DOES always have to be aware of who's around them because pickpockets and other sundry Persons of Dishonest Intentions are always lurking around.
Unless there was some kind of security set up that I was unaware of, *any*body could have walked in and done anything they liked, unobserved, during the times when all available readers were sequestered in their booths and performing readings.
In any event, when you set your shop up, please do so with security in mind. Research some information to make sure that when you design the floor plan, you'll be creating a workspace that's both comfortable AND safe for you and your clients.
eastarot
25-08-2004, 01:27
I read from my home office and have done it up in blue & green (auspicious colours of harmony in the east), I've put up lots of artworks and crystals, candles and incense but I dont dress the part.....usually according to my mood.
A few suggestions
1. Put up your Code of Ethics, frame it up so people can see.
2. Have extra chairs - sometimes a crowd will come. I only have 4 chairs and sometimes when a whole family comes along, I find it hard to seat everyone.
3. At a Tarot readers studio in Singapoe, I noticed she had a little board saying, readings are for 30 mins, extra time will be charged....that helps.....am thinking of doing the same
Make the rates clear, in writing if you have to. I have had people haggle.
Also put up a sign for people to switch off mobile phones and pagers.
4. A Record book of transactions, details of clients really helps organise things. Clients who return know exactly when they were here earlier.
5. Leave your cards out so you can hand them over. Earlier when I was reading at an alternative healing centre, I had a folder containing the basics of Tarot which people could read while they were waiting.
6. I also keep a flask of water and glasses. Readings make me and some clients quite thirsty:)
Wishing you success:)
:) good idea!
i plan to start a tarot shop when i enter the workforce.
anyway, the old movies show a woman behind a crystal ball in a run-down tent, y don't u consider that? haha
janstar17
25-08-2004, 09:51
I had my cards read years ago by a woman in her home. The home was one of those 40's style places out here in CA where the rooms were smallish but she had this wonderful sun porch that looked out onto her garden...really lovely!...and that is where she did her readings. While that would be hard to duplicate in a storefront, the thing I remember most about the porch was a hanging cage with a beautiful parakeet...that little thing chirked at all the right places!!! LOL And, for me, it made the whole thing 'less threatening' for some reason.
Good luck! Have fun with it, too!!
Maybe you also wish to have some tea and some nice glasses/cups around to serve it to the querents (a samowar would also be great. I will furnish my New Year's Eve reading booth with such a thingy because ppl love hot drinks in the cold season).
[QUOTE=allibee]Yes! Please look like a nice shopkeeper! Please don't perpetuate the madam zsa zsa tealeaf reading, bandana wearing, bangle laden woman that gives us all a hard time to live down ...[QUOTE]
lol...when I do public readings, I try to look as "normal" as possible...jeans and a UPenn sweatshirt, or something along those lines. I find that it makes me a bit more approachable, and it demystifies Tarot reading (and readers!) somewhat. Good luck with your shop, I hope you have a lot of fun!
Grizabella
03-03-2006, 09:07
My gosh, I forgot I had posted this! :P
I haven't got a shop yet but I've sure learned a lot since this post was made.
Hi Lyric... I have been thinking of doing the same thing eventually. I found a neat place.. a lovely place really, parking, etc. Not sure how much it is to buy yet or if it is the right one.
I am thinking though that it would need a product that would bring in money to finance the whole thing. It should supply a "need" for everyone and to get them into the shop. In this vane it would be a two person shop as you can't run off to sell something when reading !
In fact, I might get in a good reader and run the shop. That way I can be assured of friendly service to all. Having said that it means I can stock the shop or give a service for people to enjoy.
I detest shops where you cannot sit down and look at a book. It is just too much you walk for a long way and find a place you like and by then you need a sit to review which book you want... they are so darn expensive to buy the wrong one...
I don't think that just doing Tarot would bring in enough money over the long haul to stay open. I am a Reflexologist among other things and I have found that you just cannot supply enough energy in that area to make a go of it.
I would like a happy place where people can relax and browse and order for them or sell to them. I know from my own experience that if I like somewhere I will spend a lot of money ... if not I don't spend a cent.
There are too many, no service places, bring back the old world a bit where people care. Still mulling it over but think that is what you have to do to hit upon the correct combination for success. That and a feasibility study of potential traffic, product and service. Lots of success in your endeavour. I think I saw a picture of your shop under construction and it looks very nice...memries
Do it as upscale as you can, down play the "Psychic." Serving Tea is always a draw. Also, a lending library (with $5.00 refundable deposit) is ALWAYS a big hit. Don't go heavy on the incense (lots of people are allergic). If you want to draw a good clientele do it as UPSCALE as possible!! also, do light and lovely as opposed to dark and mysterious.
For a grand opening you might invite some readers for an event at a local hotel, charge $25.00 per 15 minutes reading with the readers getting $15.00 and you getting $10.00, Put a large ad in the paper with your "reading store as a sponsor."
Send me a PM of where you are in the US and I can probably find reliable readers not to far from you. Hopefully you are not near TAOS, NM. or one of the other major psychic centers in the U.S. (only because it's so saturated that new business have a hard time money wise).
Lyric,
This is so cool!! If you are stuck on colors, try picking out your significator card or destiny card from one of your favorite decks. Take a good long look and notice what colors are in the card. And if that shouldn't work for you, Feng shui is a great way of not only picking colors, but furniture placement.
Also you might want to follow the "Porter Strategy", a universal in business planning.
I hope someday soon to get a website up and running and I am in the planning/research stage, right at this moment. :)
Baroli52
There is a shop in my city that always has readings going on at a big table in the front, but they sell other things there, like gemstones, incense and candles. I just bought Baroque Bohemian kitties there a few days ago. I've never gotten a reading there (because I'm a bit too introverted to sit at a big table in the front of a store and get one) but I've been tempted.
The coolest things about the store are: when you walk in, there's a huge goldfish pond like you might see in an expensive hotel. And there's a Kuan Yin statue as tall as I am (my mom lives three hours from here and she asks me everytime I've been there whether they still have that Kuan Yin statue. It's technically for sale but I think they've priced it high enough that they know it won't sell and they'll get to keep it).
The first Saturday of the month is "gallery night" which my kids love. They have local artists selling paintings and jewelry, local musicians playing, a table with simple snacks. A few months back I bought a candle that was made with jojoba oil instead of wax and it's scented with lavender oil. As it burns, the jojoba melts and you can use it as lotion and it won't burn like wax will. Having things like gallery night draws people into the store and gives an outlet for a lot of different people to sell their products.
Most of that probably sounds like stuff you aren't interested in and you might have no idea why I just told you, but my point was about atmosphere. It's very classy and upscale, not hippie gypsy witch. There are several stores in town with a more mystical occult atmosphere and I never see anyone getting a reading in them. They just have a reader sitting there looking bored at a table. But the less mystical, more upscale store has an absolutely wonderful atmosphere and there are always people getting readings.
starrystarrynight
03-03-2006, 21:32
This is such a wonderful dream...I hope you make it come true!
All the ideas here have merit. I particularly like the upscale idea and keep in mind that the more people pay for things, the higher value they put on them. (Think Starbucks--who'd-a-thunk we'd EVER pay three to five bucks for a cup of coffee!!!)