Village Squire, 1977-03, Page 17into place." There were no major setbacks in getting the
building renovated although there she worked right up to the
deadline before she had the shop looking just right for the
opening.
Likewise, for the outsider who wouldn't know where to
start, the idea of ordering all the stock for a clothing store
seems impossible. Yet though it was hard hard work,
Rosemary says, everything seemed to come together just
right.
The past year has seen many long, long days spent in
Toronto visiting agencies and buying stock for the shop. Each
agency will carry several lines, she says and it's simply a
matter of making the right choice for your customers from the
vast selection offered. That, however, is far from simple. The
salesman goes through the different pieces on the rack
showing each one at a time. she says, and the buyer must
make a quick judgement on whether or not to buy. There can
be no doddling, she says, because the salesman doesn't have
time for slowpokes. In that few seconds that a decision is
made, a buyer is putting the sales of the next several months
for her shop on the line. A mistake in judgement, an
over -hasty decision, and it can mean either a lost sale, or a
garment that hangs around with no one wanting to buy.
The pieces which are rejected are put on the rack again;
those accepted. put on a separate rack. When the decision
process is finished, the buyer sits down at a table and makes
out an order using the information on each garment on the
"chosen" rack. Then, Rosemary says, its a case of sitting
back for a few weeks until the order begins to arrive in dribs
and drabs by freight or express.
That's all there is too it, except that there are more
agencies to visit. and more snap decisions to make until the
final selection of the next season's stock is made. It means
several trips to Toronto to agencies and days that begin early
and end late. She begins by choosing sportswear lines and
proceeds to tops. sweaters, blouses etc.
The important thing for the buyer, however, is to know just
what the shop's clientele will and won't buy. Those snap
decisions can't be based on any vague notions or the shop will
soon be out of business. After only a year Rosemary says she
is still learning what her customers want. She tries to provide
clothing that is stylish, the newest things, and yet not
faddish. It irks her when she has people come into her shop
who remark that its only for teenagers. She has a small
clientele of teenagers. she says, but the majority of her sales
are to women who want something different from what they
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Telephone
523-9666
WINTER HOURS:
Monday - Thursday 9-6
Friday 9-9
Saturday 9-6
Sunday 1-6
1'HE VILLAGE SQUIRE/MARCH, 1977. PG. 1