One of the most common concerns we hear when talking to businesses about joining The Maker and Merchant is that there will be too much competition. The same concern may be true of other shared vendor stores, events or forums. We may have all said the following a time or two...
“I don’t think I can be successful when there are already other clothing boutiques participating.”
“I’m concerned there are too many jewelry makers for me to make enough sales.”
“I want to be the only one who sells candles.”
We spend a lot of time curating the right mix of vendors for our store, but we do allow multiple vendors in the same category. Being in the same store or at the same event as your competitors may be daunting. BUT, your business is uniquely yours and if you can instead embrace the community, the benefits will far outweigh the fear of competition!
Grand Opening of The Maker and Merchant in Tampa, Florida
The Power of Concentration
We thrive on the power of concentration at The Maker and Merchant and the same goes for other vendor stores and events. By concentrating vendors together, we have become the "go to" place to support and shop small businesses. Yes, we have several jewelry makers, but that has made us the place you can find jewelry to match any outfit, style or person. And yes, we have a lot of boutique clothing, but that has made us a place that you can find the perfect dress because we have so many to choose from. A customer comes in to support one business, but leaves having been exposed to multiple businesses and they continually return seeking old favorites and new finds.
Your Business is Unique to You
Small businesses are inherently unique because they are run by YOU. Clothing boutiques have thousands of brands they can buy from and hundreds of thousands (millions even) articles of clothing they can buy. It's rare that two clothing vendors select the same dress in the same style in the same color to offer to their customers. Most candle vendors are mixing their own scents and hand pouring their candles and that alone makes each one different. Continue to do YOU and you will naturally be unique and stand out within your community.
How to Embrace Your Community
Instead of avoiding competition, embrace your community! Doing so can create new friendships, lead to new business opportunities and promote mutual growth and success.
Support other businesses in your industry
Share ideas and knowledge
Encourage one another
Learn together
Collaborate and give credit
Treat others how you want to be treated
Be genuine
By working together and building one another up we can do amazing things!
