HK's latest retail craze: the small box store

[wyliepoon]

In sprawling North American cities, our big retail phenomenon seems to be the "big box" store...

In Hong Kong, one of the world's densest cities, it's no surprise that the latest retail craze is a Japanese idea- the "small box store" (a nickname I came up with... in Hong Kong they're called "gak jai po" or "store of small boxes").

A "small box store" is a small store full of glass-faced lockers. It is somewhat like a live version of E-Bay... any vendor (which could be anybody) can rent a locker from the store owner, and then put anything he/she wants into the locker to sell. The owner acts as security guard, and represents the vendor in selling the products in the lockers and completing the sale with customers.

A 43x60x16cm box can be rented for $450HK (or $68 Canadian). These stores earn $20,000-$40,000HK ($3,000-$6,000 Canadian) per month.

Some of the most popular products sold in the small boxes include jewellery, shoes, comic books, action figures and toys.

Could this be the perfect urban retail store?

 

[iJDH]

It's a glorified pawn shop.

 

[afransen TO]

There's no requirement that it be used. On the other hand, I would be concerned about stolen merchandise showing up in such places...

 

[building babel]

There was a similar place at Queen and Bathurst - mostly selling antiques and collectables - about ten years ago. With the arrival of eBay they went out of business.

 

[adma]

The Harbourfront Antique Market had a feature like that too, did it not?

 

[bizorky]

The small store.
Imagine that.



Everything old is new.

 

[building babel]

adma: Yes, but eBay shrank it too. Quite a few smaller Ontario towns have antique centres where rental display cases have been popular for some time, but I think eBay is sending them into decline as well. Dealers from Toronto place their collectables in such places all over the province, casting their net as wide as possible to catch the nicknack-gathering hordes.

 

[interchange42]

So this is just the rental version of the Pacific Mall-type condo stores. They are mostly tiny too.

42

 

[adma]

adma: Yes, but eBay shrank it too.

Note that I said, "had".

Funny how after the Harbourfront market was uplifted, its ghost just faded away (or else the cream of it got sifted through to St. Lawrence on Sundays--which might as well be pre-eBay retro at this point, and not at all bad for it)

 

[billonlogan]

It's a glorified pawn shop.

We call them flea markets around here.
"the small box store" - cute :b

 

[building babel]

Harbourfront antique market had been declining for several years before it moved up to King - where the rents were higher, which in turn weeded out even more of the less well off dealers. One higher end dealer - Bill Brethour, who ran Yours, Mine and Ours - vacated before the move to King and now sells on eBay and does shows such as Bayview.

Once at King, more lower end dealers gradually moved out - as did the curiously unlined and apparently ageless Pam Ferrazzutti who sold expensive majolica to American tourists. She also sells at Jordan - an example of dealers using several locations to reach buyers, as well as on the internet. Cynthia Findlay recently took over running the place at King - her store was the largest at Harbourfront and she's been gobbling up space in the new location as other dealers move out.

 

[Jarrek]

Dude with a Shevchenko jersey.

Unreal.