Proof to Product

303 | What Retail Shops Look for When Buying Wholesale with Ginger Diaz, Feliz Modern & Rancho Diaz

Jul 25, 2023

Ginger Diaz, the owner of Feliz Modern and Rancho Diaz in San Antonio, brings a vibrant approach to retail by showcasing art from local and global makers. She shares her journey of overcoming challenges during the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of relationships in retail. Ginger discusses her buying preferences, highlighting red flags in manufacturer pitches and what draws her to independent brands. She also reveals how teamwork and tools like Trello and Slack have streamlined operations, enabling her to create joyful shopping experiences.

34:49

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Episode guests

Ginger Diaz

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Opening a retail storefront requires unique strategies and operational systems that differ significantly from online or wholesale selling.

Building strong relationships with artists and understanding market demand are crucial for sourcing and supporting independent brands effectively.

Deep dives

Challenges of Opening a Brick and Mortar Store

Opening a retail storefront requires a distinct set of strategies, operational systems, and staffing needs compared to online sales. The journey begins with understanding the market and identifying gaps, as seen in the experience of the owner of Felice Modern, who initially faced challenges and worked through them to build a successful business. The transition from a single location to multiple stores highlights the demands of managing a brick-and-mortar retail environment, showcasing how keeping financial transparency with landlords can foster better relationships and facilitate support during difficult times. This serves as a reminder that entrepreneurs must be adaptable and willing to have tough conversations while navigating changes in the retail landscape.

Intro

3min

Navigating Retail Resilience: From Openings to Overcoming Challenges

2min

Navigating Challenges Through Collaboration

16min

Adapting Business Processes through Team Communication and Tools

3min

Navigating Entrepreneurship: Balancing Ideas and Execution

6min

Empowering Teams and Navigating Entrepreneurship

4min

Opening a retail storefront is no joke. It's a whole lot of work and a completely different business model than selling products online or to the wholesale market. Brick-and-mortar retail requires different strategies, operational systems, and of course staffing needs. I know there are many of you who dream of someday opening a shop, in fact, we have many product brands that also have brick-and-mortar shops in our Proof to Product community.

So today we're going to hear from Ginger Diaz, the owner of Feliz Modern and Rancho Diaz in San Antonio, Texas. Ginger Diaz came to retail to bring her favorite artists’ and makers’ works to a wider audience. What started as one brick-and-mortar shop in San Antonio has expanded to a second shop, as well as their online store at felizmodern.com, for those national customers that they service. All three shops are centered around products that bring joy and some cheeky fun to their customers. It's a small business full of hundreds of other small businesses and makers from around the globe.

On today's episode, we're talking to Ginger about motivations for opening her stores, how relationships played a key role in their survival during the pandemic, and how Ginger's incredible staff has helped improve efficiencies in her business. We also talk a little bit about her buying preferences and red flags that she sees in manufacturers' pitches or outreach, and what she looks for when she's purchasing from smaller independent brands.

Today's episode is brought to you by our Is Wholesale Right for You private podcast! This free 12 part audio series will help you decide whether wholesale is a good next step for your specific business. After listening to this audio series (in less than an hour), two things will be true. You'll know whether you want to pursue wholesale for your product business, and you'll have the confidence and action steps to get started with wholesale. Sign up for the private podcast today!

You can view full show notes and more at prooftoproduct.com/303

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