What would you stock YOUR Tack Store with??

[BatCoach]

It will be hard to compete with online prices, so earn value in your marketplace by doing in-store events. Bit clinics, helmet/safety seminars, trivia nights, holiday parties, pony club/ 4H fundraisers, breyer horse parties, brand rep demos etc will make you stand out and build client loyalty.

I’ve worked in equestrian retail and regular retail spaces and the lack of customer service in horse retail drives me nuts. I want to shop at my local horse stores, but when the staff can’t be bothered to check to see if they have an item in stock, or have no idea what I am asking them for (one honestly was perplexed when I asked for a full seat riding tight) - it does not incite me to come back. Most horse stores are relatively small, so when I call ahead to see if they have a specific product in stock, then race like hell to get there before they close at 5:30, you better damn well know your own product lines and know what you have in stock. I needed animalinex pads for an abscess, drove 30 min out of my way only to find the sales clerk I spoke to on the phone had no idea what I was talking about, so she just assumed I was talking about saddle pads. :eek:

So yes, train your staff. Pay them well. Encourage them to interact with the brand reps and actually learn about the products. What makes this brand different than the other? Why is this breech $50 more than a different model of the same brand? Make sure they know how to properly measure for a helmet and boots.

One reason I like shopping online is that I can read full product descriptions and reviews. So if I had my own store, I would have a Breeches Bar - something that educates on the different cuts and fits of each brand in stock, rather than the long, intimidating row of beige on a rack. Denim stores do this all the time, so I don’t see why we cant do it in equestrian stores. Same with show coats! The sizing in show coats is so off and weird that you really need a well trained employee to help you through it.

If I had my druthers, I guess my store would house more boutique brands and be a place where people could discover cool new items that you can’t buy from a dover or TSC. I love the idea of having an in-house monogramer / blanket wash and repair too!

[173north]

I ran an independent tack shop for years and it’s not easy. You’ll never be able to compete with the purchase volume, infrastructure, returns policy, and name recognition of Dover and Smartpak. Tons and tons of riding products can now be found on Amazon. Plus, many manufacturers are now selling direct, and most consumers have caught on that a lot of European brands can be had for much cheaper if you buy online direct from Europe.

You have to be very tuned into your customer base, their riding discipline and their spending habits, and willing to adapt to what your market needs. There’s one store near me that seems to have a solid business model - it’s in an expensive, horsey town and seems to do a lot of custom boots, custom blanket/barn setups, and high-end tack. Rather than carry Ariat or RJ Classics for their seasonal apparel or mid-priced show coat, they usually have an interesting European brand that is new to the States or hard to find. It seems to work for them because it’s tailored very closely to the needs of the customer and they are offering services and products that are difficult or impossible to get online.

E-commerce is in its biggest boom period of all time so for a brick and mortar store to survive, you need find the draw - truthfully, multiple draws - that makes someone get in their car and drive to you rather than buy online. That means all the basic products you can think of, plus amazing staff and customer service, plus some combo of consignment, tack repair, custom boots, blanket washing, saddle fitting, feed, dog grooming, wine or beer, exclusive or private label lines, amazing housewares/gifts…

[Ajierene]

@SonnysMom

I am sort of local to where Bit of Britain/John Nunn was. I am about an hour away. He was just not in a good location IMO. I made it to his store once or maybe twice a year, mostly during sales or if I needed a Nunn Finer brand. It was not the most convenient location. I did not find the hours to be convenient. It was very much off the beaten path. Yes Amish buggies would routinely drive past his store. So pretty rural.

I think that it was also very much marketed and perceived as Eventing. We have have a large hunter population but I don’t think they did a good job of attracting that market to that store. There are other brick and mortar stores at the other end of the county. One of them has a store at Devon Horse Show and therefore would be perceived as a hunter/jumper store. The other one has English/Western and Consignment and would be much more neutral.

I am an all around rider: some LL eventing, trail riding, non-jumping foxhunting. But I have boarded and trained at barns that do rated hunter and dressage shows. None of the people that I know from the rated shows or even schooling hunter or dressage shows shopped at Bit of Britain. It was not on their radar. The foxhunter were more likely to got to Bartsville Tack than Bit of Britain.

Don’t get me wrong we have a good amount of eventers in this area but when you slant your marketing toward the eventers and towards the area that is more eventers rather than include hunters and straight dressage you have limited your market. John Nunn/Bit of Britain is very heavily associated with eventing not so much with dressage or hunter/jumpers.

His store had a very warehouse feel to it. I do not remember any saddles, any tall boots, any paddock boots, or helmets being available. If they had them it was a very small selection because I didn’t see them. The staff tended towards a very hands off approach not a full service approach. Don’t get me wrong the staff was knowledgeable but you needed to approach them. They didn’t tend to be outgoing and greet the customer with something as basic as “Let me know if I can help you with anything”. You could walk around the store for an amazing amount of time without seeing a staff member unless you went to the desk in the middle of the store. No you did not need to walk past a customer service area to get into the main store. This type of store is set up to cater to the DIY eventer that knows what they want.

Don’t get me wrong I own 3 Nunn Finer dressage bridles and 1 Nunn Finer figure 8 bridle. I have purchased a few bits and a few saddle pads from them. I like his tack.

You make some very valid points about Bit of Britain. I lived in the area for a while now and worked there briefly. He did well when his store was on the intersection of two country highways - easy to find, right by the road. He outgrew that store and moved to that location on that road that ran parallel to Rt 1. Even though it was minutes from my horse, it was still farther away and the prices did not compare to the place in town that was an all around feed store/pet store. So for every day items, we went around the corner to there to pick up hoof picks, etc. I went to one or two of his tent sales but never saw anything I liked.

And yes, he was trying to make a name catering to the Eventing/racing community and his hours were also crap - 8am to 4pm most days (or something like that). The Dover Saddlery, which is about an hour away from his store, likely got better business just by virtue of hours (9am to 9pm most days). The feed store in town does the bulk of their business in selling feed and supplies to farmers.

So, lesson learned is know your audience. There was another tack store that was right in Fair Hill that was catering to the race horse people but their hours sucked and I think they closed - unless they reopened and rebranded as the big place down the street. I haven’t been there yet.

[Ajierene]

I actually had a plan to sell custom tack online from the local Amish harness shop. You can get completely custom items for a much better price and the leather is much nicer. I never wanted to do the footwork of setting it up. I figured if I did this, I would also offer every day items and would get a few sales from that from people who live far from local places but hey, they can order their custom bridle and get that replacement hoof pick or curry comb for the same price as the big store and save on shipping.

I wouldn’t mind going into more detail, if you want, just PM me.

Oh, I forgot to add - tack trucks seem to do well around here. People will stop and buy stuff between classes all the time and often they pick up an item they forgot and an item or two they need/want at the same time. It would work well with an added online presence. I really like the idea of having tack truck go to barns as well. When I was in high school, our barn had a little tack store and they really only sold to the lesson kids but they made extra money since we just went there when we wanted something and it wasn’t generally manned, we just told the owner we needed something and they would unlock the door for us. I think you can make similar money having a mobile unit that has a deal with local lesson places and camp places.

[Hunter_Mom]

@dani0303

I would start a plus size tack and clothing empire. Something along the lines of Torrid but for equestrians. Fuller Fillies tried to do it but seems to have had a bad business model

Just the name Fuller Fillies was horrible IMO. And their stuff wasn’t appealing, either. Kind of like many of the plus-size stores who assume all curvaceous goddesses want to wear tees with flowers and jewels on them with their elastic waist baggy pants. Just plain insulting!

[Mouse_amp_Bay]

@Lv2rid3

Thank yall SO much for all the input. I really appreciate it.

A lot of what you were saying was customer service. That is SO HUGE. I hate walking into a store and having to FIND someone to help me, or feel like I’m being looked down upon or not worth their time. That would NEVER happen in my store.
I love the idea of the tack van going around to different barns, the same idea has occurred to me!
Sonnys Mom, thank you for all your info and input, it was very helpful!

Not just customer service but also hours to allow accessibility. It is difficult to stay alive as a retail store in the age of 24/7 on line availability when you are only open until 4 or 5 pm.

Your customers are still at work. You would be much better off to open at 10 am like most stores (the early birds can stop in after the barn) and remain open until 7 or 8 pm at a minimum. You want the browsers and the stop by on the drive home crowd - those are the people who will spend $ to pick up something new or interesting or simply fun.

[Casey09]

I agree that a retail store should have some evening hours. The brick and mortar tack store 45 minutes away closes early, and they’ve made it work. That said, I usually shop online because it’s a real ordeal for me to get there before they close. Unless it’s a situation where I need something for a clinic right away, I order online just because it’s a bit easier.
I would suggest carrying a feed line because that’s one thing that gets me in the store. If I need a bag of feed or a first aid item, I’ll also look at clothes and other tack stuff there and pick up gloves or a whip or a shirt, etc. It also helps if there is someone there who is knowledgable about feed brands so that a customer can take a vets advice about a horse needing to be fed a food that is X, Y, or Z and someone at the store knowing what products fit that advice.

[Tarlo_Farm]

@Lv2rid3

Some VERY good answers!!

Yeah hubby and I have pretty much dropped the dream. Sadly it just seems the local tack store is gone and not likely to come back unless your in a big city.

I’m tossing around the idea of a mobile tack trailer now. Go to shows/events, also big barns. I work at a mechanic shop and got the idea from the tool trucks

Very common around here. Love the cocktails lounge suggestions. Seriously, I’d make sure there was a good selection of gloves and a better selection of girths.

[tikihorse2]

@Hunter Mom

Just the name Fuller Fillies was horrible IMO. And their stuff wasn’t appealing, either. Kind of like many of the plus-size stores who assume all curvaceous goddesses want to wear tees with flowers and jewels on them with their elastic waist baggy pants. Just plain insulting!

I agree! And not all plus-sizes are the same. Some have more or less thinner legs and arms, but larger torsos/stomachs. Others are curvy all over. I’m more what’s described as an “apple” by the fashion industry, so clothes that fit me around the waist are too large and baggy in the legs and arms. This is more a problem that should be addressed by the garment industry, but still. I’d pay to have things tailored. Have seams that can be let out! I had to find a bra that would flatten the girls because my show coat gapped at the buttons! Aggravating as hell-- I wound up wearing two, plus a Spanx-type thing. Oh, so fun on hot, humid days! :mad:

And longer cuffs. I’m tall, and I’m bigger!

[poltroon]

@ASB Stars

One of our local tack shops used to send a van around that was stocked with most of the daily needs of a barn, to all of the local stables of any size. It was really convenient, and you could order anything that you needed, and they would bring it back the next week.

There was also a guy with a camper on his pick up truck that went around to local horse shows. He seemed to do alright, and had things that were useful at the show, and some more boutique items.

Obviously, they incur the cost of being on the road, but it seemed that both did well enough to continue for a long time.

I love the idea of a tack trailer going around to barns monthly or weekly, if the barns in your area have the space and clientele to support it. One sometimes came to the barn where my daughter took lessons, and I bought a helmet for myself while I was waiting for her. That kind of special ordering would work for me - that I wouldn’t have to make a special trip to pick up my item - and also it’s very well suited to impulse buying. It’s unexpectedly cold, you have sweatshirts. Parent or kids are bored and waiting for someone, you have something for them to do and wouldn’t they like this item or know someone who would? Kids who cannot drive to your store may nevertheless have money and be able to buy for themselves.

Then of course there are everyday necessities that you may suddenly need, like buckets.

As for service, I’m kind of shy and I don’t really like interacting with a salesperson unless I know I am buying a thing and what I want. For me, signs and reading material as someone mentioned are very good for selling to me, including things that aren’t out. For example, you could have reading material out about all the helmets you carry and how they fit, and that might help me ask you to order in my size in a helmet that looks interesting but you don’t have on hand. If you give me the tools to research what I want, and I decide you have a thing I want, I will buy it from you if I can (even if I know I can buy it for less elsewhere etc).

[xeroxchick]

There used to be a nice tack store around here and I went in one day and they no longer carried simple supplies like shampoo and fly spray. They said most people bought those items at the feed store. I just thought it would have brought people in the store and you KNOW we always buy a few impulse purchases. I’d have some of those near the register, like cool cocktail napkins, note cards or horse treats. That store went out of business.

[TheresanAppfurthat]

1. Knowledgeable staff that can measure correctly for helmets and correctly fit saddles (and bits).
2. Thank the west coast fires for this one: livestock marking pens, the good kind; livestock spray paint, the nontoxic kind, and emergency ID mane tags (and train purchasers how to use them).
3. Ditto: printed lists of local emergency resources. Hand out to every. Single. Customer. People almost need information more than anything else.