Mint Condition | Application Preview
Mint Condition is seeking government grants to enhance its online sales capabilities, recognizing the importance of a strong digital presence in today’s retail environment. The funding will be allocated to hire an individual dedicated to maintaining the online aspects of the business, particularly as new inventory arrives daily. Currently, Mint Condition sells primarily on Instagram but sees significant potential in launching a Shopify store, especially given that competitors have successfully moved online.
The business has established itself as a strong community player over the past 12 years, employing over 25 individuals and providing opportunities for high school girls to gain their first job. Mint Condition also supports local women by allowing them to sell gently used clothing. To maintain its impact in the community and adapt to the changing retail landscape, the business believes that developing an online presence is crucial.
Mint Condition stands out from competitors like Twist Boutique and Current Boutique due to its commitment to high-quality inventory and exceptional customer service. The business has built a solid reputation, which they aim to leverage as they expand online. By securing funding, Mint Condition plans to create a more robust digital platform, ensuring they keep pace with consumer trends and remain competitive in the marketplace.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 842564155
Location: Alexandria, VA, United States
Length of Operation: 11plus
Number of Employees: 26-50 Employees
Annual Gross Income: $500k to $1M
Annual Gross Expense: $500k to $1M
Open to Loans: YES
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Funding Usage
We plan to use the funding to start selling online as many of our competitors are already doing. In order to do it properly we will need to hire someone to keep up with the online piece of our business. We have a new inventory arriving daily and this will be a job for someone to maintain. We feel that this lack of online presence is a huge missed opportunity for us. While our sales and store are great, in order to keep our business moving through this ever-changing retail climate, we need to have a major presence online.
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Business Plan
We plan to grow our business through online sales. Currently we sell on Instagram, and while that is great for us, we do feel there is a huge opportunity to have an online Shopify site as well. Our competition in the area has begun to sell online and seems to be working great for them. The retail climate has completely changed over the last few years and more and more people are shopping online only. Our customer does love to come into the store & touch and feel the clothing. However, there is a huge amount of people that will just purchase online only. So we feel this is a huge opportunity for us. We should be awarded the funds because we have been a major player in our city’s small business community for over 12 years. We employee over 25 people and give high school girls the opportunity to have their first job. We provide an amazing service to our community allowing women to sell their gently used clothing in order to make some money. We want to continue to have an impact on our community and flourish for years to come. With the ever changing retail environment an online presence is key to our continued success. But to do it properly we need to hire someone to assist us to build the site & keep it constantly updated with our new inventory that arrives daily.
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Self Identified Competition
Twist Boutique is a consignment shop near us with a small offering. Current Boutique is another consignment shop near us as well as DC with a large online presence. We differ from our competitors because of our high standards. We only accept the highest quality items, which is why we have the best reputation in the area. Our customer service is top notch as well. We train our staff to ensure everyone that enters our store is happy and will come back again. Our competitors do have an online presence which is where we think we can definitely improve!
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