Know-How Exchange : Strategy

I'm opening a retail store front. I'm interested in how to effectively market store fronts, especially in challenged circumstances and if retail is ripe for more innovative solutions.

My shop will be a maternity boutique. In the short-term (2-3 years), it will be a sideline effort. I'm employed full-time elsewhere, but an eye out to leave. I will be opening a store front (not in a mall), as well as an online shop. I have plans for other businesses later and I am in the Caribbean.

这是我第一次生意,我很担心staffing and customer support. I wanted few staff to start, so as not to increase costs for a new business. I cannot be in-store myself and I'm a distance away.The shop will be closer to my home. Will one all-rounder in-store (store manager/retail assistant/cargo manager) work? I have an accountant and lawyer separately.

My traget group is professional working city moms. Do I have to be open regular shop hours to get customers into a store front? Are there any new strategies on the retail scene? I know money ticks away with rent and utilities whether the store is open or not. Are there any innovative renting strategies? I am looking but haven't found my location as yet, and there is no short term booth space in the malls.

I could focus on online shopping. The online route is not as developed as in the US, and I will have to work through some issues such as shipping. I will probably make more from the shop front.

Simplicity may be to leave my full-time job, but that's not viable now. As much as I would like to find the way to make my business work in the midst of the challenges, it would also be good to innvoate a new way of doing business, which would be a great selling point.

Anybody have any ideas how I can make this work?