During dinner, Lin Chunhua shared her idea of opening a shop, which received strong support from Lu Wanqing.
“I’m about to graduate, and the school requires us to write internship reports. But the school’s funding is limited, so they can only take us on a brief tour of some garment factories. We can’t really get a deep understanding of them. It’s better to open our own shop and source the goods ourselves. That way, we can get firsthand information.” Lu Wanqing was very excited.
Originally, she planned to start the business after graduation, but she didn't expect Lin Chunhua to bring it up first.
Elaine Chao was also very excited.
"At that time, I can also sell the clothes that I design and make myself. Maybe the sales will be no worse than those of the clothes from the clothing factory."
The three of them got right to work. Lin Chunhua and Zhao Xiaolan went to find locations, while Lu Wanqing established preliminary contacts with various garment factories and analyzed the styles of clothes they produced.
Now that the planned economy is over, garment factories have begun to reform, and the materials and styles of clothing they produce have gradually become more diverse in order to meet everyone's needs for clothing.
After the reform and opening up, people's needs for food, clothing, housing and transportation began to expand, but the market supply lagged behind. So at this time, anyone who stepped out of their comfort zone and did some business could make a fortune.
A few days later, after investigating the market, Elaine Chao and Lin Chunhua discovered that Wangfujing was currently the most prosperous area, with not only department stores but also various restaurants and antique shops, and people loved to go there.
Lu Wanqing thought about it and agreed. This was the earliest commercial district in the capital. If you're going to open a shop, you should open it in a bustling area.
However, when Lin Chunhua inquired about a few suitable shops, she found that the rent there was really expensive.
A 50-square-meter storefront costs 200 yuan a month, which adds up to 2,400 yuan a year.
This doesn't even include the cost of store renovations and clothing inventory.
People's incomes have increased, with average wages reaching fifty or sixty yuan. Unexpectedly, prices of various goods have also increased accordingly.
"Once you've found a good location, let's finalize it! I'll have Lin Ye find a renovation team to do the renovations." Lu Wanqing was decisive and efficient.
There can be no gain without investment.
Moreover, this is a sure-fire way to make money.
"Shouldn't we find out which department we should contact to apply for a business license?"
Elaine Chao was a little intimidated when she heard that opening a store would involve dealing with government departments.
Lu Wanqing comforted her:
"Mom, don't worry. Once the store is open, some departments will come to inspect it. We can still process the paperwork then. Right now, everyone is deliberately trying to run the individual economy."
The first privately owned restaurant in Beijing opened two years ago; we're considered latecomers.
Anyway, she doesn't plan to evade taxes. When the industry and commerce bureau comes to investigate, she will just honestly complete all the procedures.
Soon, after selecting a shop and paying the rent, Lu Wanqing began the renovation process.
Lin Ye studied architecture and found a lot of information about renovation teams from Han Lei. He chose a relatively reliable one and introduced it to Lu Wanqing.
He originally wanted to personally take charge of the interior design and supervise the construction, but the design competition was too time-sensitive, so he had to leave it to Lu Wanqing.
Lu Wanqing provided a renovation design drawing, and the usual supervision was left to Lin Chunhua.
Now, Lin Chunhua is capable of doing everything with style and can handle things independently. She spends all her time in the shop, paying attention to every single detail.
Throughout the entire shop renovation, she strictly controlled the budget, spending less than two thousand yuan in total, yet the effect was very high-end.
Of course, she was also very impressed with the renovation results.
Even the renovation workers were doing the job of tiling the walls for the first time.
And those light tubes were all purchased from Guangzhou by the merchant at great expense, according to Lu Wanqing's request.
The lighting store owner never expected that his sales would double in the following year because of the new light tubes.
After the shop was renovated, Lu Wanqing had almost finished purchasing her clothing.
At that time, there were no wholesale markets in the capital, so if you wanted to buy clothes, you had to go to the garment factories yourself.
The quality and style of clothes in garment factories vary, and they need to produce large quantities, so they need to have a discerning eye to select the best ones, otherwise they may end up with unsold clothes.
After careful selection, she chose Yiren Garment Factory as her supplier.
I signed a six-month contract and went to the garment factory every two weeks to pick up goods, at least five hundred pieces each time.
From deciding to open the store to the opening of the clothing store, Lu Wanqing only took two months.
The clothing store was named Wenwan Clothing Store, which immediately attracted the attention of many young women.
Fifty square meters is not small. It is divided into several areas, with women's clothing and a small number of men's clothing. The clothes are arranged in a clear hierarchy, and there is also a fitting room covered by a curtain.
Lu Wanqing made Lin Chunhua the store manager. Zhao Xiaolan had to pick up and drop off her children and occasionally make clothes, so her time at the store was not very fixed. Lin Chunhua, on the other hand, treated the store as her own home, leaving early and returning late every day, and eating lunch at the store.
Of course, business is booming. All kinds of styles sell well, especially Lu Wanqing's own brand, which sells out every day, and there are many repeat customers.
"Wanqing, your clothes are so popular! We only put out a few pieces each day, and they're not enough to sell!" Lin Chunhua said proudly when she saw Lu Wanqing that evening.
However, the clothes were priced between five and twenty dollars, which was a relatively affordable price. When the clothes were shipped to the port city, each piece cost one hundred dollars.
Therefore, the clothes made at home can only meet the needs of the port city at present.
Actually, at this time, the mainland began to import a large number of trendy clothes from Hong Kong. Being able to sell your clothes in Hong Kong like Lu Wanqing was almost like selling combs to monks.
Or perhaps, fashion designers in the port city found inspiration in her clothing, which led to their trendy designs.
That day, Lu Wanqing was in the clothing store, taking stock of the sales figures for the past month.
Seeing that they had sold more than 8,000 yuan worth of goods in a month, they had a happy smile on their faces.
"Sister Chunhua, you're amazing! You've almost earned back your investment in just one month!" Lu Wanqing exclaimed excitedly, hugging Lin Chunhua tightly.
She had originally given herself a six-month payback period.
Lin Chunhua grinned and chuckled foolishly:
"Wanqing, did we really earn this much? It feels like a dream."
After their initial surprise, just as the two were about to summarize their sales performance, the owner of the grocery store next door shouted over:
"Lu Wanqing, I have a call from you!"
That shop opened relatively early and installed a telephone as a public phone. People would come in and make calls, and it would cost one cent per minute, which added up to a considerable income over the course of a month.
Lu Wanqing answered the phone with a smile. It was from the daycare center. After listening to Zhao Xiaolan's words, her smile gradually froze, and she calmly gave her instructions:
"Mom, you and the baby wait there, I'll be right there."
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