Gunner bit his lip, glancing over at Rachel to see how she was handling the kids. Rachel seemed to be having the same issue he was, trying not to laugh. Gunner glanced back at the kids because it was so hard not to chuckle.
“None taken, Phoebe. I like kids and don’t mind babysitting. If you don’t, it’s good you’re thinking of other things,” Deborah said.
“So what is your idea? An entrepreneur needs a concept or idea to get started,” Rachel said.
“Blake and I like to take pictures. We thought we could make them into cards people could buy,” Phoebe said, motioning to Blake.
Blake placed her backpack on the table and took out two cards.
Gunner examined the cards. The front was a picture of a monarch butterfly on a bush. The inside was blank. The back hadDesigns by Phoebe and Blake. He had to admit he was impressed.
“Did you get these printed?” Gunner asked.
“Yep. Mom helped me order a sample set. She said if you sold them that we could do a consignment model or wholesale model. But then Joey started crying and she had to take care of him. She didn’t explain,” Phoebe said, rolling her eyes.
Gunner bit his lip. These kids always made him smile and sometimes laugh, but he didn’t want to hurt their feelings by laughing. He was impressed with their idea.
“Consignment model would be that we would put your cards for sale in the shop. When they sell, you would get a set portion of the sale. Let’s say sixty percent for you and forty percent for theshop. Money would be paid out at the end of the month. A wholesale model means that you would sell it at a cheaper price to us, but we would pay you upfront when the cards come into the store. Let’s say with that, we’d pay you forty percent of the total amount we’d sell them for. Usually with consignment, if they don’t sell, they would be returned to you. With wholesale, if they don’t sell, we, the business, absorb the loss,” Rachel explained.
“Me and Blake might need to discuss this,” Phoebe said.
“Well, how about you and Blake discuss it for a minute while I chat with Rachel regarding it?” Gunner said.
At Phoebe’s nod, he and Rachel walked over to the counter.
Rachel was almost bouncing; she was so excited. “Oh my gosh. What a fantastic idea. Do you love it as much as I do? And we could let some of the other kids come up with ideas too? There are a couple of easy crochet patterns the kids could learn if they want.”
Gunner grinned because they were on the same wavelength. “I agree. It would be good for the kids and their families. Besides helping the kids, it would guarantee us that customers would come to see the kids’ stuff. It would definitely be a win-win.”
“I love the idea of helping kids realize that their ideas and dreams are achievable,” Rachel said.
Gunner had taken the idea of the shop and run with it because he loved the idea of being his own boss. The extra bonus of feeding people and making them happy had been such a win. But sharing the joy of this with the younger generation of Bluff Creek had him knowing he was doing the right thing.
Sitting back down, he nodded at Rachel to take the lead.
“We would love to stock your cards. They are beautiful, and we both love that you took the initiative to do this. We’re five weeks before opening, and Gunner and I haven’t made up any contracts yet. I’ve only been in town a little bit. Would it be okay if we set up a meeting for next week, andwe could have contracts available then?” Rachel asked.
Phoebe and Blake both nodded, their eyes almost as wide as the grins on their faces.
“We’re really excited you brought this idea to us, and we can’t wait to work with you both,” Gunner said.
“Hey, I don’t want to babysit people either, but I can’t take pictures. If I figure out something to sell, can I come to the meeting too?” Benji asked.
“Of course,” Gunner said. He stared at Benji.
“You’ve brought up a good point. Let Rachel and me talk about it. We might need to set up a certain time that we can have proposals brought up next week.”
“Thank you!” Phoebe, Blake, and Benji yelled. The kids got up and started discussing what they could do as they walked out the door.
“Thank you,” Deborah said, following the kids out.
Rachel hopped up and stared at the bookshelves, spinning around to look at the room.
“Maybe we could add a table here with items made by kids to highlight them. Oh, I have so many ideas,” Rachel said.
“I think it sounds great, but how about I show you the rest of the shop and then we can make a list?” Gunner said.
Listening to Rachel agree and then immediately start talking about something else had Gunner knowing, yep, she was going to be his, but he needed a better plan than he had. He wondered if Clara might have any suggestions.
