Wayne Cole has acted on a great idea and has opened a new business in downtown Meaford called Yaardsale.
The 62 year old has jumped into the retail sector as a retirement venture. With a background in text and graphic design as well as journalism, opening a store might seem to be an unexpected leap.
“I've never done retail before,” says Cole who opened his shop at number 4 Sykes Street across from the Foodland grocery store on February 13 of this year.
Cole says that shoppers should not make assumptions about his store based on the name. His store is far from a flea market or a 'Sanford & Son' style junk shop.
The idea is simple.
Yaardsale offers shoppers top quality previously owned furnishings and home accents. In an time when many people are embracing the eco-friendly concept of reusing rather than buying new, the opening of Yaardsale is timely indeed.
And without knowing it, Cole has opened an establishment that fits nicely into the 'Green Pillar' of the recently completed Meaford Economic Development Strategy (MEDS) which established a goal of having Meaford work toward enticing 'green businesses' to the municipality.
Since opening eight weeks ago Cole says that he has been working 10 hour days, seven days per week but he has been enjoying the experience- especially the people that he meets.
“It's labour intensive, but it has been fun,” says Cole.
Cole purchased a home in Meaford seven years ago and has lived in the municipality off and on since then. Eight months ago he decided to take up full time residence in Meaford, in part to enjoy the quality of life offered by a small community.
His greatest reward in his first two months of operation has been meeting the people who stop into his shop.
“Meeting the customers has been great,” says Cole, “I love talking to everyone that comes in. That is the joy of it all.”
On his website www.yaardsale.com Cole tells a story of a local resident who stopped in to his shop shortly after he opened. It was very cold in the store as the building is not insulated overly well. The resident left the shop and returned later with a space heater.
“I asked for his number so that I could return the heater but he waved me off, saying he’d get it back some day when the weather warmed. This could never happen in the city,” Cole writes on his website.
Yaardsale is not just a place to shop for unique vintage home furnishings, as many of the items in the store have been brought in by residents to sell on consignment. This means that not only can you purchase these items in an eco-friendly fashion, but it also provides a place to find a new home for that piece of furniture you no longer have room for rather than sending it to a landfill.
Cole says that he evaluates the items brought in to his shop to ensure that they are of good quality and condition, and a price is set for the item which sees the owner of the property receive 65 percent of the sale price, and Yaardsale's cut is 35 percent.
The store is open five days each week, Wednesday through Sunday, with Monday and Tuesday being Cole's opportunity to pick up new pieces to bring in to the shop.
Quite likely the greatest marketing tool for Yaardsale are the large display windows at the front of the shop. Cole says that these window displays are changed at least once each week, and they are changed not just to keep the storefront fresh- they are changed so often because the furniture keeps selling.
“It has been going very well,” Cole told The Independent, “It has exceeded my initial expectations.”
Cole says that one of the major reasons that the product has moved at such a pace is his pricing.
“Traditional antique stores tend to have fairly high pricing, these days a lot of people are downsizing and they aren't willing to pay the antique store prices,” offers Cole.
The items that come into the Yaardsale store tend to not be the 100 year old showpieces, but rather pre-owned mostly vintage pieces of furniture that are functional and in excellent condition.
So if you are looking for a unique chair for that corner of the room that needs freshening up, or if you are furnishing a new home and want something different than what the department store furniture section has to offer, stop in to Yaardsale and say hello to Wayne.
You are sure to uncover some gems from years gone by.
If you have a business that you would like to have us consider for a future “Spotlight on Business” feature, contact the editor at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 519.270.3488.
