Shop rental advice. Traffic? Landlord?

Hi everyone,

I would really like to open a little shop to sell low prim furniture and household items that I build. I am a beginner and want to start small by renting a stall in a shopping mall of some sort rather than invest in land to open my own store. If things go well I can always expand later. (Good plan so far?)

My question to all of the wise and expereinced people who write on this board is how do I pick a location? Is traffic important and how do I even determine what the traffic is? I own a small residential 512 on a private island and the island owner, who I like and trust, keeps some stalls for rent in a small mall on one of the neighboring islands. They don't seem to be high traffic but there is no camping there and very little lag. Also I like and trust her. Is this a good choice even if it is not a high profile location? Also, is it appropriate to IM other vendors in the shpping complex to see what they think of the location?

Thanks so much for the help!

Nimue

Ignore traffic numbers. The best way to judge how many shoppers are visiting a mall is to just go there and observe. As for the landlord, the main thing is to find someone friendly and trustworthy. You say you have found someone you trust, so you are good to go.

I think it's fine to IM the existing vendors to ask them, but make sure to be polite, and don't be offended if someone doesn't answer.

Thanks Johan!

I would find a place with the highest traffic that doesn't have dance pads or camping chairs. I have found that malls which jack up their traffic by paying for it, pass the costs on to you. Further, in my experience sales at these places do not tend to make up for the higher costs. You want to find a mall where people actually shop, not camp.

Next look for a mall with other vendors selling similar wares. You sell furniture, so look for a place that has other furniture vendors.

Also, if the mall is attached to a club or community. Check the place out a little. Does it feel like a place that people come to actually hang out and talk. Do people seem to identify with the club? Or is it just a place to go look at virtual strippers? If the place has a genuine community feel to it, I find that people who hang out there will shop there, often in a proactive attempt to support the club. However if it's a "popular" club but has no sense of community, people will be less likely to shop there. This is mainly a hunch.

Look for a mall that is not lagged. If I get a landmark to check out a mall and I go there and it's lagged, I don't put a stall there. I'm not interested.

Look for malls where the owners/managers are helpful and nice. SL businesses should be fun. There is no sense dealing with a nasty landlord over fifty cents worth of rent.

Oh one more thing! It's nice to have at least one stall at a mall where avatars can TP directly to any location. That way you can pay for a weekly classified which takes them directly to your stall. Classifieds definitely work and having one that tps people directly to your stall is key.

I think the advice you have received so far is sound. One last thing I would add is, don't depend on the mall and/or landlord to find business for you. You will have to market yourself and your products/services as much as your time and money will allow to be successful. Of course as always, word of mouth is the best way to advertise. You may wish to give out some free copies of your products to a few people. The theory is, if they like it, they may tell friends. Be sure to advertise in the SL in-world classifieds also, especially the 50 lindens rate ones. If your product is good and fairly priced, you should do well.

Thanks so much for all of the advice! Everything you've all said makes good sense. I may look around a bit more and finding out if I can TP directly to the stall is a very good suggestion.

Thanks!

Nimue

Although I advise ignoring traffic numbers (because those are so frequently inflated using camping etc.) you did ask how to check that. When standing on the parcel whose traffic you want to check, select from the top menu World->About Land.