Barriej

As this is my first post, please be gentle with me...

And I'm sure this question has raised its ugly head many many times already BUT.

I’ve been reading through the various threads and have got some good information but my question is a bit specific.

My wife and I have been regular visitors to the costa blanca region for some time, having family who moved out about 12 years ago.

At the moment my wife runs a small business selling cards, gifts, jewellery, rocks, fossils, figurines, candles, incense and oils and lots of other bits.
This business’s lease is about to expire and we have been talking with my wife’s father about a move to his part of the world and opening or buying a compatible business to provide a service to both expats and tourists as well as locals.
For my sins I’m a fully qualified apprentice trained jeweller with over 30 year of experience making one off’s for film, TV and the odd Royal.
And I’m a really good fast and cheap repairing jeweller, polisher and stone setter..
Can also do watch batteries and straps as well..

We are both learning Spanish at the moment and hope to step this up if we decide to give it a go.

So thats us.

What I want to know is, having visited a few card shops on the costa, is it worth buying a shop and adding our own ‘unique’ selling points?

I would be happy to hear both good and bad advice with regard to moving over.
We have not decided that we will move whatever advise we get, we want as much help as possible to make an informed decision.

Our children are grown up and will not come with us (I hope )
We would leave most of the cash raised from the sale of our home here in the bank (or in premium bonds) just in case we cant make it work.
We can stay with my wife’s dad for a couple of months while we sort our selves out and we would rent a flat until we are settled.
Business wise we are open to being located anywhere from Calpe to Torrevieja as long as we can serve mainly expats with passing tourist trade and some locals of course.

Your advice and suggestions please...

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Leper

Barriej, you are on to a good number in the UK. So is your wife. Unemployment is running at 25% in Spain (35% on the Costas). Value your position in the UK, cherish it, nourish it, love it and just use Spain for holidays. You have little or no chance launching such business in Spain.

scolly52

Best you immediately purchase a tin hat to protect yourself from the deluge of 'Don't do it'/Suicide/your mad. Brigade.

My view is the choice/risk is yours to take and buried in the dross you will find some good advice on this forum

Fred James

That's a bit over the top.

The "Don't Do It etc" applies to people who have no skills or experience to bring to the market in Spain and haven't taken the time to acquaint themselves with the facts of life regarding getting a "job" in Spain.

These guys have thought it through and have some experience in running a business that might, just, transfer itself to Spain. They don't have baggage and already have family in Spain.

As they said "Your advice and suggestions please..."

I can't personally add a lot apart from saying it looks like it might be a better bet than the "I want to buy a bar" no-hopers that we regularly get on here.

Let's try and be positive please on this one - I'm sure somewhere we can offer some advice.

Rosemary

When the current crisis was fully fledged two women in my town opened a gift shop which everyone predicted was going to fail because we are not a tourist place so they rely totally on locals. They have gone from strength to strength because they have listened to what the customers want and their prices are very sensible. People shop there instead of taking their money to one of the larger towns because they are friendly and open to suggestions.

The OP has enough experience of retail to realise that it is not going to be easy and that they have to be open to suggestions, they sound like they have their heads screwed on and already know who their target group will be.

Good luck to them, whatever they decide.

Rosemary

jackytoo

Don't know about the costa Blanca but on the CDS there are loads of card/gift shops. Many selling some very pretty candles and things. Even the supers sell English greeting cards.

Barriej

Thanks for that, but even the 'dont do it' comments are worth listening to as long as there is something constructive in them. We are leaning towards buying an existing business and modifying it to add our own flavour, we have done this twice in the uk, so we know how to do the leg work, it's just the differences in Spain that require us using professional people.

We will be back in Spain at the end of September in the La Nucia area to do some investigations, we already have a couple of business people to talk to thanks to the wife's father. We will also be looking at the rental market for an apartment, no decisions will be made either way until we have a full business plan with costs, I already have a spreadsheet detailing the uk business startup from last time, so we can compare the two.

It's not a done deal that we move to Spain, it's just we are at a point in our lives where we are at a crossroads. We will move from where we live now, it will either be a business in the uk or Spain. And believe me the uk ain't a bed of roses retail wise either.

Anyway cheers so far for the replies. and please keep them coming..

jackytoo

I wouldn't buy an existing business as you will probably be paying a lot of money for goodwill that doesn't exist. Look for an empty unit that is fitted out...there are lots.

HBG

As you know, you would normally get negative replies aplenty, but your reasoning appears sound, you already have someone here to advise you, and you're not coming over to run a bar.

I would say 'give it a go', like most of us have done at some stage. The only other advice I can give is that you don't burn any bridges back home.

Barriej

Thanks I must say I was expecting lots of doom and gloom, it's great to think that we are heading in the right direction.

As to bridge burning, we are lucky to have family in Spain to stay with for a couple of months, and should it not work out, my father has said we can always move in with him while we sort ourselves out should we come back to the uk. He did say he hopes not as he is looking forward to holidays in the sun.... we will also be leaving most of our money in the uk because of the exchange rate fun..

Leper

Well, I would love to be one welcoming all-comers to Spain and advising that the road ahead is easy and the outlook bright with innocence as white as the driven snow. But, I have seen far too many, retreating like Napoleon's army from Moscow doomed, harried and beaten. It didn't stop Mr Hitler a hundred or so years on when he suffered an identical defeat.

The odds are stacked against people beginning the dream nowadays. And even if you make it (I stress "if") new pitfalls will come your way and there will be those who will love to see you fail. Please note I am not one of these and I pass advice for free.

jackytoo

Well, yes good points. It is not the time to be starting a business anywhere in Europe least of all Spain. Mom and Pop businesses are statistically doomed anyway.

Domino

ok based on those words of wisdom
no one should start a small business - anywhere
employers are laying people off in droves - everywhere
so where are people going to get income to buy bread and milk ?

major employers didnt just pop up out of nowhere, they started small and grew bigger by dint of hard work, not taking holidays, putting every penny of profit back into the business

people with skills (other than drinking the bar dry) can move anywhere and get work to cover the table, it will be hard, it will mean living off savings, by cutting back and working long hours for little reward. It may mean doing things that had never been considered before but if thats what the customer asks for thats what he gets.

but then that's life for most people Jackie, shame you don't know about life.

me me

Hi and welcome,

I would like to give my observation of card shops on the costas.

Since living here, I have seen the number of them go down and down, I suppose the main reason being that a lot of expats have left, and also if the recipient of the card is in the UK, then with the hassle of posting and wondering if the card arrived on time or even arrived at all has put paid to many sales.

The rise of car boot sales also has damaged the card shops, and one can often buy 3 cards for 1 euro.

And don't forget that locals don't send birthday cards, it is not custom in Spain.

As for the jewelry repairs, I can only take a guess, but looking at the "we buy gold" booths and posters, I presume that a lot of people who have broken pieces are cashing in while the gold is high, and not getting the items repaired.

As money is becoming tighter, the expense of a repair, which does not add value to the item, would be too much of an extravagance for many, and so the "we buy gold" guys prosper, as the jewelry repairers do less and less.

This is not a meant to be a negative post, as in "you are crazy to think of opening any business" type of comment.

I am looking at it from the angle of your specific business idea of cards and jewely repairs.