I too am considering opening a store, since there is not one for 40+ miles near me. I think one of, if not the most important thing is to have enough room AT the store to have permanent tables set up, so shoppers can crop at their own hours. I think it promotes sales, gets friends to crop and shop together and makes it easier to organize classes. As far as products go, a large selection of paper, stickers, templates, some of the cutting systems, page toppers, punches, scissors, etc.. A knowledgeable staff and flexible hours for working and non working moms is a must. There was as scrapbook store open here for a few months and they did NO advertising, no scheduled classes, didn't have room for even one crop table, had irregular hours that couldn't be depended upon even to just shop, and it failed miserably. I am hoping to learn from these mistakes. Penny

Well, besides having all the latest gadgets and a good supply of the basics, my favorite store has a kids toy area that keeps my son busy while my daughter and I look around! The staff is also very good about giving an honest opinion of the products or showing you how to use something. I asked about the new grass scissors by Fiskars and the lady told me she didn't like them because they stick and do not cut smoothly. She even got out a pair and demonstrated. Nice to know before you fork over $10. After all, I have a Fiskars oval cutter, a doodle cutter and some Fiskars corner scissors gathering dust in my cabinet. I am beginning to question Fiskars products in general!

Friendly and helpful staff is the most important thing, IMHO. Also,promotions like key punch tags( buy $150 worth of merchandise, get $15 free), newsletters with coupons in them, anniversary sales, etc. keep me coming back!

We have two in our town. One is very small, but all of their stickers are organized by category. (i.e., sports stickers together, baby stickers together, etc.) I think this is wonderful! The other store is really large with tables and play area for toddlers, but I have such a hard time finding stickers when I just want to run in real fast and pick-up a few certain things that I need to finish a layout. The big store does have a "Customer Appreciation Day" once a month where everything in the store is 15% off. They send out a newsletter to everyone that signs up for their mailings. The newsletter has a calendar of events and classes and also includes new items that have just arrived at the store along with discount coupons and a sample page layout. It is a really nice way to stay in touch with what's new.

Good luck in your endeavors!