looking for input...

[Seolta]

Just posted this on my lj (http://iunnrais.livejournal.com/254887.html), but thought I'd ask here for input as well...
(for those who don't like clicking without some idea of what they're getting into, it's a treehugger-type artsy business-venture idea that I'm looking for opinions and advice on before going further)

[Sehson]

I read you LJ and here's my input....

Look at the economy of your area. This will give you a better idea if the idea will fly or not.

I have a friend who is a tailor whom just opened his own shop. Why? because the tailor shop chain he worked for could not make payroll.

Yes their is a demand for formal wear for girls and one of a kind, but really can you make a profit. Remember yes materials are cheap, Labor isn't. I work for a school district in a college town, the malls are loaded with girls in formal wear now 4 times a year, homecoming, winter dance, spring dance, prom and its growing I think this past year me and the wife were trying to figure out a couple because they didn't fit...

Most of the dresses are not tailored because it's too expensive, so their to long or a little loose here or there. The dresses range from the mass produced $49.99 clearance priced $29 at Dots to teh $499 from the boutique across the street from the mall. Because thats what the budget range is for these kids.

Don't take this as neigh saying, you have a very good idea. But do you have a market? Secondly and most importantly will your market support you? Your time and effort needs to translate to $$$$ sure you can goto the thrift stores and buy a couple dresses to recycle but if it takes you 10 hours to teardown and remake a dress, that you can only sell for even $75 your only making $7.50 an hour gross, after you take out materials, taxes, Electricity and that depending on where you are you're better off working at MacDonalds.

This is a realists perspective on it. Don't let me scare you off just use it to keep the realism in perspective as you investigate this. I hope you can do something cool like this.

[Seolta]

Still looking into viability issues and such...was more looking at only doing a couple at a time as a side-thing(I work full time in addition to school part-time, and have too great a need for the benefits that go with said job to quit it anytime soon for something like this), and storefront would be online only, at least until(if) I decide it's viable as a business in its own right that would actually need a physical storefront. As mentioned in the post, most of what I've been looking at thus far have been online shops and such, since that's more the sort of venue I'm looking at at present. Money-wise...heck, I only made $5.50/hour when I worked at the costume shop, and the last theatrical work I did was free since it was for a charity group, and the commission before that wound up coming to maybe $1.25/hour because it was a no-budget production and I knew how much the director could afford to pay out of his own pocket(and the actress I was designing/building for was a good friend). Heck, for that matter, $7.50/hour is more than I've made at any job prior to the one I'm at now...and even now I'm not exactly rolling in dough.

[Sehson]

As a side business/hobby. I'd say go for it.

I went into the whole realistic view on the full business venture because alot of the people I know IRL tend to get an Idea about a side project that turns into a full business venture before they have thought the thing out fully.

Me and my wife think it is a good idea, Creative and "GREEN" we're just both jaded cynical realists. So we always give people both sides of an idea,stressing the potential bad so people don't go in blind.