Our 2 year anniversary is June 1st, we have a "decent" client base. Month after month our ratio of New to Return was 80% New 20% returning and that was constant for I'd say the first 6 months. From them it's been pretty steady Month to Month 50%/50%. So that's a pretty solid foundation. When we opened we did Print and TV advertising and it didn't move the needle much at all and was super expensive (keep in mind this is when we had a cushion of $$, that's all gone now) so we relied on Social Media and doing Events outside our Shop store front. Those 2 things are what drove traffic. It's been touch and go for the last I'd say Year and a Half.
Now almost 2 years in, the shop supports itself, but not outside that, meaning personal bills or personal income. I've thought I might have to get a side gig, but may be too late for that, not entirely sure.
Another thing we have been having to deal with is all these, I guess MAGA or super conservative people coming in demanding we stop selling Tea from China, and get rid of all the Non-Christian artwork in our Shop and replace it with Crosses and other Jesus stuff. I won't do that, I can't do that. This isn't a religious shop, nor a political Shop and never will be. In fact I had to put out a post on all our Social Media that we will not tolerate political speech in our shop, it's not the place for it. Oh boy did they chime in on that post. However, most comments were supportive.
Pudgy's is a Loose Tea & Bulk Spice shop, the only one in town and the only one ever in this town of 135K people. To this day we get people in everyday who had no idea we existed. That is very frustrating. We did everything right, and still its had to break thru. Every time we do a Google Ad, Safeway and Walmart, I'm guessing "Auto" over bid us on the top spots. For example, we did an Ad on Google and Facebook (Facebook being way too expensive in their Ad's) for "Raspberry Chipotle Spice Blend", yada yada yada at Pudgy's Tea & Spice, and within minutes of that Ad popping up on Google or FB, Walmart and Safeway have competing Ad's and because of their brand recognition, we get bumped to 3rd and 4th. We can't compete with that. So we do the best we can with the budget we have,
which pales in comparison to those big chain stores.
But still we plug along, hoping the rest of the Town wakes up and either hears about us, or just stops by. Don't know if we'll make it, but sure is fun in the mean time. We've also observed something since the Pandemic that's new.....People really just don't want to be around People anymore...known now as "Peopling", they just don't want it. That has effected Events especially.
So that's my 2 cents on this topic. Hope some lessens can be drawn from it.
