To my opinion, the first step in starting a jewellery shop would be to
actually come to New York and visit a few local jewellery stores and see how
they operate and do some research in terms of ROI at the cost of the lease,
product inventory, employee costs and insurance.

Hello Robin, its not easy to start a new jewelry showroom in New York. It needs big investment but its profitable too. Also, if you start a showroom, you should also sell the cremation jewelry, memorial pendants etc. ---This post was edited to remove a commercial link. Read our discussion policies for more Community best practices.

My dear friend robisonvivek, first of all how much years experience you have in your jewellery business in your country? Is your business in very succesfull in your city? If yes then is your business is very popular in your country India?-if no then why not to expand your business in India? Anyways if you want to start your retail jewellery store in newyork then i would like to ask how how many times you have visited newyork? Are you aware about areas, cities or location? Is there somebody from your friends and family live there? Are you aware that newyork people and are they interested in jewelery like Indian people? Are they intereted in artificial jewellery or gold or silver jewellery? You know i have asked so many question but you should have every answer then only you will be able to start your succesfull business. You have to personally visit Newyork meet the people who are doing jewellery business, gain some knowledge. One more thing i would suggest you; today facebook is more famous for any business, so create your business page of present jewellery store and then make some friends of newyork city and ask there likes and dislikes and about there city, that is also one way to gain some knowledge about your customers.

I better suggest you selling your jewelry online by targeting PPC campaigns right in NY or just in USA. PPC advertisers allow to geo target your visitors, so you will reach exact places.   But if you would like to sell them locally it is better to contact some chains and try to sell your products to them, it will be less risky and more cost efficient.   But maybe you can try to expand your business in your neighbor countries, because of similarities in taste and needs and of course taxation  

Robinson, Actually, building in any of the five boroughs of New York City is much easier than most other parts of the country. For a dry retail use (like; a jewelry shop), zoning is not an issue and it's is possible to obtain building permits within two weeks (a licensed NYC architect can 'self-certify' the plans so long as they conform to codes (building, health, etc). The 'trick', if there is one, is in the actual site selection for your store. If you're familiar with the NYC area at all, you've probably noticed that it is not one huge, dense homogeneous area; but rather a vast collection of small individual neighborhoods (and can be a Mecca for small businesses - restaurants and retailers alike). But, even with that density, it is possible to build fifty feet from success, so do your homework. I would suggest that you spend some quality time identifying exactly who your intended customer will be (everyone doesn't like everything). Then, try and identify as many viable trade areas as possible (pockets where your customers live, work or shop). Depending upon your merchandise price point, you should have quite a few choices when you're done. It is important that you don't do this remotely (i.e.., letting someone else pick your site for you) and that you spend time at each location. I always suggest that you should visit a site at least four times; weekdays, weekends & day/night since your business will probably be open during these times. Also try and best understand the Fair Market Values (FMV) in each of the areas - it will vary. There are a great number of online resources that can help you with your search including NYC's own website (http://www.nyc.gov/). It's designed to help the small businessperson wade through the various rules, requirements and recommendations for starting a business in the city. Finally, there is a huge difference between a good site and a good looking one. I know of a national restaurant chain located in Times Square that does well-over $8 million in sales volume...and loses money! So take your time, do your homework, identify the right group of professionals (Attorney, Accountant, Architect & Broker - if you choose to use one) and best of luck to you! Regards, Tony O

I have an antique store with about 1400sq ft. I am in the downtown area a very good location with good foot traffic. We are in Great Falls Mt. I would like to open a jewelry store but don't know how to find a wholesale outlet also I have very little money What would you recommend?

Now internet very helpfull for business, why you dont try it online. It's way for future. This is my idea... :) regards, -------------------------- free online advertising 's admin Message Edited by NicoleD on 11-14-2009 02:16 PM

If you have a store in india - I would suggest two things: 1) Sell worldwide (including NY) via the internet. Create an online presence and sell that way. 2) Instead of opening your own store in NY - try to find other stores that will carry your product - either on consignment or they can purchase up front.

Right now wouldn't be the best time with the current economic situation; I'd wait until things stabalize in the US economy before making this type of venture; remember high end retail stores get hit first. However, your first step is to actually come to New York and visit a few local jewerly stores and see how they operate and do some research in terms of ROI at the cost of the lease, product inventory, employee costs and insurance. Really, you can hire a business attorney to do all the legal stuff, the cost isn't really the same because each person is different.

Starting a jewelry store in New York can be a very tough thing if you are talking about New York City. My advice to you if you already have a store and want to expand would be to find an attorney in the New York area as well as a realtor. If you haven't yet I would visit the area where you want to start the store just to get a feel for the different areas of NYC as the areas vary so much that you want to make sure it is in the right area. If you are wanting some prime real estate in NYC where many jewel dealers are then it can cost you a pretty large amount. I have had many clients in NYC who I have done marketing and public relations for if you want to shoot me a private message I may be able to connect you with some of the right people in that area. The best advice would be to travel here and figure as much out as you can first hand. Right now is the best time to buy real estate here in the United States as it is very cheap compared to what it was 5 year's ago.