Name of your website?
One Islamic Store Odds N Ends
Your name?
Muhammad Nafees
Your Location (city, etc)
Lilburn
Please give us a short summary of your website?
We carry Modest Islamic Clothing and Accessories for the Entire Family. We also carry books, prayer items, cosmetics, incense and more.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
We began with an ebay store 786stores which we still have but Ebay fees are so high we have decided to launch our own website.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
In April 2005 we launched our first website on Ebay http://stores.ebay.com/786stores. We began and still sell Modest Islamic Clothing and Accessories for the Entire Family. We also sell jewelry, cosmetics, skirts, tunics and incense to name a few that everyone likes. Our customers are not just Islamic or Muslim, Everyone enjoys our merchandise and we sell to everyone.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
One Islamic Store is short for our retail store Odds N Ends Islamic Store in Atlanta Georgia. When I applied for the Business License I was asked what the Business name was, I had no idea but knew that we were planning to sell more than just Islamic items so I replied Odds N Ends.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
We are a small family business, where many other sites are a larger Company. We really care about our customers and are willing to go the extra mile. We offer Clothing and Accessories for the Entire Family. Many sites feature mostly items for Women. We also offer both High Quality Merchandise and Affordable Prices. Many other sites price their merchandise at a much higher cost. We also offer a nice variety of items and sell more than just clothing.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To actually start making money instead of just breaking even. But it will take time and in this economy we are lucky to still have a business. We are hoping to expand our on-line business and hope to maybe open another retail store in Atlanta some dayR.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Right now our investment of time and money is much higher than our success. But we understand it takes awhile to establish a business. We opened our retail store in September of 2006 and people are still slowly finding us. Word of mouth and establishing an online presence has helped.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
It would be nice to have more money for advertising. Paid advertising goes along way in promoting a business but it is also very expensive and really hard for a small family owned business to advertise at the expensive rates charged.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
We would. We would hire more people to work for us.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
You have to invest a lot of money upfront and the return does not come as fast. Our items do not sell quickly but our vendors want their money upfront so it is a hardship financially. When we ship items from other countries we have to deal with Customs and they have many regulations that can cause much headache.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The customers themselves that are from other countries and know the original cost of the items or are used to haggling about the price. We have a policy of fixed prices but this does not stop customers from trying to get a deal. Our prices are already a deal as we are not making much. They also do not understand all the costs involved in running a business including custom fees so what they may think is too high a price is really minimum when you throw in the overhead.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Free Website directory listing. It has really helped customers to find us as most people use the internet now instead of the yellow pages books.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It is hard to draw customers to your site. Especially when you do not have the money for paid advertising.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
We have recently began this website and hope to keep it up for a few years at least. If after a few years we still have not enjoyed big gains we may need to reaccess and decide if it is in our best interest to continue.
Is starting your own website a large risk?
Yes, starting your own website is a large risk. They are so many websites and big companies out there on the web that the competition is tremendous. But if you want to own and run your own business you have to be willing to take some risks. If you are not willing to take a risk than you may never see your dream of owning your own business become reality. Some risks are worth taking.
What is your website address?
One Islamic Store Odds N Ends
