May 16/97

Entrepreneur, Catherine Lane, second from left, surveys one of her enterprises.

Year-Round Garage Sale
Service Could Clean Up

Cirterine Lane is in sales —
garage sales that is. She plans to
open up her own business and offer her
services to people who want to have a
garage sale and don’t have time to do it
themselves, or to community groups
who need someone with the
organizational skills to plan the event.
Her marketing experience, which comes
from managing a retail clothing store,
can be applied to the garage sale
business.

Catherine developed the idea while
taking the Capilano College
Entrepreneurship Program offered
through Contract Services. She finishes
later this month and is preparing to go
into business soon after.

“My business idea has changed
drastically since coming into the
program,” notes Catherine. Originally,
her idea was to open her own retail
store, refinishing and selling second-
hand furniture. After doing the research
and preparing a business plan under the
guidance of her instructor, Tim
Thompson, she’s taking “baby steps”
along this path. Even at that, her plan is
ambitious.

Catherine did a lot of research first-hand
during the preparation of her business
plan. She read every book she could find
on the topic of garage sales and scoured all
the newspapers for ads to get some idea of
the volume of business. She also went out
and asked people if they would be
interested in this service. The response was
an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

When her business is up and running,
she will be offering two different service
packages. If the customer wants a full
service package, she will come in and take
over the garage sale and handle all the
pricing, tagging, advertising and
promotion, as well as sales. ““The customer
doesn’t even have to be at home,” says
Catherine.

She estimates, however, that most of her
business will come from the partial service
package. For a set fee, she will coordinate
sales for associations, charities, clubs and
other community groups. She is preparing
a kit for this service and will help them
with merchandising — the arrangement
and display of items to attract the
customer’s eye. Business administration
faculty member, Jessie Pendygrasse, was
a big help in this regard.

With the support of her fellow
classmates, Catherine organized her first
group garage sale in April to test-market
her business idea. The class has a coffee
fund as a “‘micro-business” and with the
$250 profit on the fund, they chose to
reinvest back into her business. She had
signs made, did some advertising, set up
tables, blew up balloons and came in
costume. It was a great success, plus,
everyone had a good time.

The garage sale was theme-oriented to
the 50s era, something she plans to
continue as part of her marketing
strategy. She plays ’50s music, puts on
roller-skates and dresses appropriately.
She says everyone gets into the mood
and has a good time while they’re
shopping.

Interested in Catherine’s services?
You can reach her at 988-4989. She’s
bonded and brings all her own
equipment to run the sale, including tents
for those occasional rainy days.

Submitted by Lauren Mulholland

| October 17 and Saturday, October 18
From tap dancers to trombone players, _

encouraged to participate. Please call _

| Taylor, at local 2223, to . her know

alent Call

ie Open House committee is
looking for talented performers
within our College community to _
provide entertainment during the —
College-wide open house on Friday, -

jugglers, pianists, guitar players,
photographers, or ventriloquists, all
current and former employees are

open house internal liaison, Marilyn

your availability.

@nformer