The widespread lockdowns, work-from-home arrangements, and the general fear that still lingers to this day about COVID-19 transmission despite the development of several vaccines — all of these made people scrambling to find ways to stay busy.
As a result, specialty shops catering to different hobbyists became busy bees during the pandemic. Some of them had to scramble to keep up with the usually high demands, which they worked hard to satisfy despite the global supply chain disruption that affected many businesses worldwide.
Additionally, businesses had to re-think and re-do how they manage their online presence. They invested heavily in developing their websites and establishing social media accounts to promote their products and services. Most importantly, they had to ensure that the total customer experience is seamless, intuitive, effortless, and generally responsive to the needs of online clients.
Now, if you wish to open a business specifically targeting the home quarantined hobbyists in your neighborhood and beyond it, then be sure to consider these four specialty businesses:
Memorabilia shop
The lockdown restrictions and orders from company executives for employees to work remotely made video streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and Prime Video big winners in the revenue numbers game. Consequently, movie buffs renewed their interest in anything related to classic and modern-day movies, which is why many of them had to visit or place online orders from a local movie memorabilia store for posters, scripts, photos, props, and other items that were used in iconic Hollywood movies.
As this is a highly specialized niche business given that not everyone has access to movie sets or anyone related to the production of movies, you have to give it much thought and check whether it’s something that you can handle. But, if you can, you’d be secure with the knowledge that some of the most coveted collector’s items are movie memorabilia, which means you can hit it big with just a single item.
Bicycle retail/supplies shop
The COVID-19 crisis opened a lot of people’s minds to the importance of having a strong and healthy body, which is why shops selling exercise machines and bicycles became a big hit. If you happen to be big on riding bicycles around your block or taking it into some rugged terrains and bike trails, then this is a great chance to turn your passion into a potentially lucrative pandemic business.
You need to establish partnerships with bicycle manufacturers that sell production-line units, as well as those that manufacture performance parts for your more serious customers. You’ll likewise need to have a well-laid out display shop and storage area to facilitate inventory and orders quickly.
Finally, be sure to have easy payment processing by having easy parts ordering, payments, and shipping. You’ll need to accommodate requests for payments using e-wallets such as Google Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, and the like. This is true for both your physical and online stores since all types of customers these days are more inclined to support businesses that have such modern payment solutions.
Specialty toy shop
The raging pandemic forced families across the US to stay at home to prevent community transmission and to protect themselves against potential COVID-19 exposures. As such, parents and their children were forced to remain within their properties and to go out very sparingly to purchase essential goods and services as a safety precaution.
Accordingly, specialty toy shops became almost overnight superstars as parents began buying toys to keep their kids busy and calm amid the pandemic scare. And this is yet another business prospect that you should consider, given its financial viability.
With many indicators pointing to the current pandemic extending well beyond 2021, it’s safe to say that millions of American kids will likely remain in home quarantine as face-to-face classes will remain suspended across the U.S. This means that at least for the foreseeable future, you’ll have a ready market for your specialty toys and have a steady stream of revenues from brisk sales.
Arts and craft supplies
The pandemic gave families plenty of spare time to engage in bonding activities that are fun and productive. And among the top activities that families choose are arts and craft projects such as painting, knitting, and clay sculpting.
As such, you should also consider the idea of opening an arts and craft supplies shop soon. You can sell supplies for different activities such as painting, handicraft, collage making, sculpture, stained glass art, printmaking, and many others.
There are plenty of suppliers where you can get these supplies from in bulk, so setting up shop and having ready access to products should be easy.
With the ongoing pandemic seemingly staying here for quite some time, you’ll surely have families as your ready market. Be sure to consider these business options soon.
