Welcome to Knick Knacks! We are pleased you have joined our outstanding group of vendors.

We are dedicated to serving your business needs and making sure our customers have an outstanding shopping experience. To that end, we have developed this handbook to help you get off to a great start. Please read through the handbook as it will likely answer the majority of questions you have as you prepare to move in. Please let us know if you have any questions at any time. Our staff team is excellent and can help you with just about any question you have!

Thank you for choosing Knick Knacks for your business! We’re dedicated to helping you grow your business and we’re excited to have you join our community!

Sarith, Rich Abramowitz and Staff

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Don’t forget to join our Knick Knacks Vendor Group on Facebook

We’re on Instagram @knickknacks_tx. Follow us to see your merchandise featured on our page.

Introduction: Our Values, Mission, and Vision

We strive every day to live by our principles and values. We do our best to make these values the foundation of our decisions such as how we spend our time and resources, and how we interact with our staff, vendors and customers.

Our foundational values are integrity, creativity, and communication.

Our vision is to be the premier destination shopping experience in SW Dallas County.

Our mission is to serve our customers and vendors to the best of our abilities.

We are excited and grateful to have you join us on this journey!

SECTION 1: ABOUT KNICK KNACKS

Knick Knacks has been around in the same location since 1992. Originally developed as an antique and crafts marketplace, over time it evolved into a unique gifts, one-of-a-kind vintage market. Knick Knacks hosts local vendors from all over North Texas featuring antique, vintage, and handcrafted treasures and furniture. As a community market, Knick Knacks invites guests of all ages to shop, gather, and explore.

Knick Knacks opened its doors in November 1992 as an antique and crafts mall by Sam and Kathy Jones. Their son Bryan Jones and his wife took over the family business until September 2017 when Knick Knacks was purchased by Sarith and Richard Abramowitz.

Sarith and Richard intend this to be a place of family, friendship and fun! They both discovered a love of vintage shopping in 2016 while living in Connecticut and shopping at the famous Elephant Trunk Flea Market. They loved it so much, they bought Knick Knacks in 2017 as a way to move back to Texas! They’re passionate about providing a home away from home for their vendors and customers.

Section 2: Vendor Communications

With more than 150 vendors, keeping everyone updated and informed is one of our biggest challenges. We have 3 main ways we communicate with our vendors:

1. Vendors-Only Facebook Group – This is our most common and up-to-date form of communication. We post news, updates, and tips every week. Sometimes we share interesting articles or resources to help you. If you’re not in the group, search Facebook for Knick Knacks Vendors and you should find it. Just ask to join – be sure you answer all the required questions. Note: Despite Facebook prompts, it’s only for our vendors.
2. Periodic Email blasts – Some weeks (sometimes we miss a week) we send you an email notification. We remind you about events, share news, and other tidbits. If you’re not receiving our emails, please let us know so we can ensure we have your contact information.
3. Monthly Newsletter – Each month we give you a printed newsletter with your sales settlement report and check. This is where we share the most important news and updates, changes in policies, etc.

In addition, we occasionally send you notices through the Webposter site where you can see your sales daily and at times special notices also appear at the bottom of your sales report.

You can also reach us anytime on email, through Facebook Messenger, or you can DM us on Instagram. And of course, there’s always the phone! 🙂

Section 3: Rent and Sales Checks

Because our rent is due to our landlord on the 1st, your booth rent is also due on the 1st of the month. Also, just like our rent, your rent is considered late after the 5th of the month. A late fee of $25 may be assessed. This may be increased at any time. If your rent is returned for insufficient funds or other reasons, there will be a $30 fee in addition to any late fees. This may be increased at any time.

At Knick Knacks, if you are late on your rent, we may use your sales check to cover rent. If your sales are not enough to cover your rent, the balance is due and considered late if not paid in full by the 5th of the month. The same late fee schedule applies for partial rent payments.

We accept cash, check, and credit cards (not American Express) for rent payments. Currently we don’t charge a fee to pay by credit card. We do however, charge a $5 fee if you pay your rent by phone.

Our leases are for a minimum of six months, after which it renews on a roll-over basis unless you give us 30-day notice that you wish to vacate your spot at the end of the next lease period. We hope you never want to leave, but if you do, a full calendar month notice is required to end your lease. This means Notices to Vacate are due no later than the first of the month in which your lease ends. Booth releases must be submitted in writing. Notices submitted any other way, including over the phone, are not accepted. For example, if your lease ends April 30, a Notice to Vacate must be received by April 1.

Booths must be empty and cleaned out by the last day of the month. If you decide to move out before the last day of the month, no refund of any unused rent will be issued. Deposit checks are available 30 days after lease end date.

In addition to rent, we collect a flat fee on all items sold, currently (as of September 2020) our fee is 8%. This fee covers credit card processing fees, sales tax processing costs, postage, supplies, and a portion of our advertising costs. This fee is automatically deducted from all gross sales and may be increased in the future.

We reserve the right to increase rent at any time as needed. We will provide vendors with 30 days written notice in advance of a rent increase. This notice will be provided via the monthly newsletter distributed with your sales check or by email.

Our sales periods end on the 15th and the last day of each month. Checks are distributed 3 days later. This gives us a few days to process and prepare sales reports and print your checks. In the event of bad weather, computer problems, holidays, or for any other reason we are unable to have checks ready by that 3rd day, we will notify you via email and/or our Facebook page.

Sales checks and your newsletter may be picked up at the front counter.

We mail checks only once per month, including your final check.

Section 4: Preparing Your Price Tags

With our high volume of transactions, we need your help to provide a smooth, accurate, and quick customer checkout process. Making sure your price tags are correct, clear, and legible is the best way you can help. Unclear and missing price tags slow down our checkout process which can be frustrating for customers and can result in a lost sale. Additionally, clear and descriptive tags also help prevent tag switching/altering, which protects you and your merchandise.

All items for sale in your space must be tagged and priced. Please do not leave any items in your booth without a price tag. If the item is for display only, please mark it with your vendor number and “For Display” or “NFS” (not for sale). We recommend limiting the number of NFS items in your booth as finding out an item isn’t for sale frustrates customers and often causes them to leave your booth.

We recommend using hang tags, or price tags attached by a string. These are the easiest and fastest for us to remove and reduce possible damage to items. We save your tags in case there is a future question about the price charged. We keep tags for 30 days. Please notify us of any mistakes ASAP for corrections. After 30 days no corrections will be made. If we are unable to safely remove your tag and you dispute the price charged, we default to what was charged at the time of the sale.

We discourage the use of tape on any items other than glass because of the potential for damage. This is especially true for paper, cardboard, and books. Please keep in mind that adhesive labels can be extremely difficult for us to remove, especially over time.

When preparing your price tags, please make sure your vendor number is clearly marked, in the top left-hand corner of the price tag. If your vendor number is not currently written in the top left corner, please help us by circling your number with a red pen and try to use the upper left-hand corner on future tags. Your vendor number could be either your booth number or a unique set of digits you chose at the time you signed your lease. Please use pens, not markers to write on tags.

If you use inventory numbers, please write before description. We do our best to include inventory numbers on the sales invoice so they will be included on your monthly sales report, helping you keep track your sales.

Next, please include a description of at least 3 words on the price tag. Specific descriptions are your best defense against tag switching. If you don’t include a detailed description, you could lose money if a customer switches generic tags.

Examples of good descriptive words to include on your tags:

• Color(s)
• Size – approximate measurements, i.e. 2 x 8 in.
• Shape – round, square, rectangular, oval
• Title – if a magazine or book
• Material – metal, tin, glass, wood, plastic, resin
• Maker or manufacturer – McCoy, Fire-King, Sunbeam
• Other distinguishing features – label, embossed, ribbed, chipped, wide-brimmed, country of origin (Japan, China, USA)

Subjective words such as large, small, big, old, vintage, pretty, etc. are not descriptive enough. You certainly can use these types of words in conjunction with the three descriptive words for marketing purposes.

Because we do not want to promote a garage sale mentality in our customers, please price items at least $1.00. We believe you work too hard finding, preparing, and pricing your items to get only garage sale prices! We also believe part of our job is to get you the highest price possible for your merchandise.

If you believe your merchandise should sell for less than $1.00, please combine it with other items to make a $1.00 lot. If you price items in multiples, such as 2 for $1.75 as a way to encourage sales, each item must still have a single price of at least $1.00 on the price tag. For example: Magazine $1 each or 3 for $2.50.

Finally, don’t forget to remove any previous price tag! Unless the item is vintage and the original tag adds value to the item. See example below.

Section 5: Getting Your Booth Ready

We want you to think of your booth as your storefront! Decorate it, put up signs or banners advertising your business! You are also welcome to paint the walls and change floor covering. We just ask that you get the color(s) approved ahead of time, use only water-based paint and completely cover the surface with no bleed-through showing. No black paint and please use painter’s tape for straight lines. Please use a tarp to protect the floor. We prefer you remove any wallpaper before painting. If your painted booth doesn’t meet these standards, you will be charged for the cost of having it repainted.

You may also put flooring down by removing the carpet. Please be sure the flooring material is secured so as not to cause a tripping hazard. Sheet linoleum tends to curl at the edges; therefore, please do not use it.

We also ask that you not use wallpaper or wallpaper borders. But peel-and-stick, removable wallpaper may be used as long as it can be easily taken down upon move-out.

You may consider covering the pegboard in your booth to create a more current and updated look. Paneling comes in all kinds of pretty designs. Other ideas for covering the pegboard include old doors, wood planks, burlap or other fabric, shutters, tin, beadboard, wainscoting, and butcher paper. We do ask that you discuss your plans with us before hands so that we can assist with you with suggestions and lessons we’ve learned after completing several booths. And please make sure that outlets are left uncovered as well as holes in the pegboard that give access to outlets.

If you want to add walls to your booth, please get approval ahead of time. For safety, it’s important that walls be sturdy. It’s also important they look good and fit with the overall aesthetic of the store. Any exposed wood or pegboard must be painted. Anything attached to existing floors, walls, or overhangs will be considered permanent fixtures and may not be moved once attached. Please be careful when hammering on the walls. If you knock something off another vendor’s wall and it breaks, you will be expected to pay full price for it.

SECTION 6: SETTING UP AND DISPLAYING YOUR MERCHANDISE

Staging your merchandise is critical to making more sales! If it wasn’t important, retailers wouldn’t spend big money hiring professionals to create their displays. The first step in staging is to identify the theme or style for your booth. Is your style farmhouse, country cottage, French provincial, rusty junk, art deco, shabby chic, mid-century modern, kitschy, bohemian, Victorian, vintage kitchen, or … ? Once you identify your theme/style, Pinterest is a great source of inspiration and ideas for booth staging.

We ask that you display your merchandise on shelves or furniture. Be careful when placing small items on the floor. Customers don’t shop from the floor and could even trip on them or otherwise damage your items. Please do not display or store merchandise in cardboard boxes, unless the box has been covered and wrapped. Please do not lean your merchandise against other vendor’s shelves or furniture. If they move their shelf, your merchandise could fall and cause damage or be damaged.

If you use wood shelves, please paint or stain them. Office-type folding tables, plywood tables or any other table that does not meet our quality standards must be covered and skirted to the floor so that the legs do not show. If you aren’t sure if you need to cover your table, just show us a picture and we’ll let you know.

Be sure to allow ample room between shelving, furniture, and displayed merchandise for easy customer access. A good way to check this is to walk between your merchandise, turn around and bend over. If you bump any items, more space is needed.

The aisles must be kept clear for customers and carts by keeping all merchandise in your booth. Merchandise must be kept within the walls of the booth. If you have aisle-side pegboard walls, merchandise may not extend into the aisle more than 12 inches. For the safety of our customers, straight-armed peg hangers, nails, or screws may not be used on aisle walls.

We encourage you to use signage promoting your business! This includes banners, printed signs, and business cards. Signs reading “call for special deals”, etc., are not allowed as we have no way to track the deals you make with customers. Please see the paragraph on special offers in Section 12.

In order to maintain a professional and welcoming appearance, please do not use handwritten signs or signs saying “you break, you buy” type messages. Additionally, if you choose to move out, “booth closing/going out of business” or similar signs are not permitted. However, “clearance sale” signs are allowed, as long as they are printed and not handwritten.

SECTION 7: MERCHANDISE GUIDELINES

We have developed the following merchandise guidelines in order to maintain the high-quality merchandise that our customers expect. Please help us keep Knick Knacks one of the best markets in the country by following these guidelines. We are continuously reviewing this list to keep up with current trends and market changes. If you have a question about any of these guidelines or are unsure if your items are allowed, please let us know.

What if I have an item in my booth that isn’t allowed?
Our philosophy is to treat each of our vendors as the individuals you are. While guidelines are important to keep everyone on the same page, we recognize that there are unique circumstances and we will do our best to work with you in those situations.

If you have an item in your booth that is not permitted, we will do our best to contact you to let you know. We may take the item out of your booth if you aren’t able to make it to Knick Knacks within a reasonable time. If we do remove anything from your booth, we will put your name on it and place it in Lost and Found so you can pick it up later. Again, we will do our best to notify you before removing any merchandise from your booth.

I need help setting up my booth and displaying my merchandise. Can you help?
Yes! In addition to the type of merchandise in your booth, the way your merchandise is displayed and staged plays a critical role in the success of your booth and Knick Knacks. A well-designed booth can look beautiful even with lower cost merchandise. And a cluttered, messy booth full of great items will look… well, messy. We also have several posts on our Vendors-Only Facebook group covering staging and displays.

The following items are not permitted in Knick Knacks:

• Knockoffs or imitation products of high-end items. Examples include purses, wallets, jewelry, etc. Due to the high cost of penalties and fees, we do not allow these items.
• KKK or Nazi memorabilia. We realize these items are a part of our history as a nation, and a world. However, we do not want any customer to ever feel the negativity that these types of items often cause. We don’t want any customer to ever feel they are not welcome at Knick Knacks. Additionally, we do not believe these items align with our mission.
• Used clothing unless vintage. We do not want used clothing. Current vendors may grandfathered in as of September 30, 2017.
• Used shoes or sneakers, or any type footwear unless vintage. Current vendors may grandfathered in as of September 30, 2017.
• Large electronics, computers, and radios (unless vintage)
• Kitchen appliances such as microwaves, coffee makers, mixers (unless vintage)
• Edibles
• Live Plants
• New and or used infant/child accessories such as strollers, car seats, toys, clothes and beds (liability issues)
• Beauty products such as wigs, shampoos, hair dyes, make-up(vintage may be allowed)
• Personal hygiene products
• Gym equipment
• Used games/puzzles (New are acceptable)
• Used bedding such as comforters or sheets
• Damaged or unattractive packaging
• Hobby paint lines. We currently stock Dixie Bell Paints. We offer classes and workshops using this paint line and don’t want to cause any confusion for our customers by carrying other lines.
• Flammable and explosives including fireworks, oils, or any item marked flammable. Oil lamps must not have any oil/fuel in them.
• Computers, printers, monitors, fax machines, and obsolete office equipment unless vintage/antique.
• Automobile tires, lawn mowers, or any gas-powered equipment.
• New or used bed mattresses, due to the spread of bed bugs.
• Used pet toys and other soft items, such as beds.
• Items with a noticeable odor will not be allowed and will be removed.

These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive or to address every possible situation. We may ask you to remove items deemed inappropriate, undesirable, or junky even if they are within these guidelines. Should this occur, we will notify you before removing the item and will place it in Lost and Found. Any items not claimed after 30 days will be considered abandoned and will be disposed of or donated.

SECTION 8: LAMPS, LIGHTING, AND EXTENSION CORDS

We encourage you to place lamps and lighting for illumination in your booth as a well-lit booth looks more inviting and appealing to customers. For safety reasons, incandescent bulbs are not permitted. Only CFL or LED bulbs using less than 10 watts are permitted. A good rule of thumb to determine if a bulb is too hot is to see if you can hold your hand on it for longer than 5 seconds. If you can’t, it’s too hot.

Small “candlestick” lamps with miniature bulbs get extremely hot. Therefore, these lamps may not be used for illumination unless the bulbs are replaced with CFL or LED bulbs.

If you want your bulb returned to you, please write “bulb not included” on the price tag and write your vendor number on the ballast housing. We will remove the bulb and place it in the basket under the counter.

Due to the risk of customers placing flammable items such as linens or paper items against a bulb, all lamps with bulbs must have a shade, even if they are not plugged in. If you are hanging or displaying strings of lights, please use only LED lights.

Duncanville Fire Codes require the following:

• Extension cords are not allowed, included the 3-prong type. If we find them being used in your booth, we will remove them, put your vendor number on them and place them in Lost and Found.
  We encourage you to plug all items into a power strip. Please remember power strips may not be plugged into an extension cord or another power strip (ie, daisy chained). They must be plugged directly into a wall outlet.

All booths that have access to electricity must abide by these rules for the safety of the whole store. If your booth does not have electricity and you would like to add it, we can hire an electrician for you to do the work. We will have a double outlet installed (4 plugs). Your charge is $80. This is only a portion of the cost, but we believe it is an investment in the store, so we pick up the rest of the cost.

SECTION 9: WORKING YOUR BOOTH

We have learned that your success is directly related to how much you work your space. Our most successful vendors work their booth at least every 7-10 days if not more. In order to maintain a quality store and keep our customers coming back, Knick Knacks vendors are expected to work in their booths at least twice a month. But remember, this is a minimum! If you work any less than that, you will likely not sell enough to even pay rent. The more you work your booth – adding new merchandise and staging your items – the more successful you will be. Even if you don’t have new merchandise to add, just tidying up, rearranging and restaging what you have can generate sales.

Each and every booth in Knick Knacks contributes to the overall success of our store! Therefore, if we determine your booth looks messy, unorganized, or unappealing, we may assess a “messy booth fee” up to $50 a month. We may also relocate your booth to another section if your booth is continually unattractive or otherwise not working well for the overall store. We also reserve the right to remove any items that contribute to the messiness or unappealing appearance of your booth.

You are welcome to load in and work your booth any time during our regular business hours. The only exception to this is during our major events (see Section 14). At those busy times our staff must focus on assisting shoppers. We will include reminders about this in your vendor newsletters. Your assistance with this allows our staff to help customers buy more!

We provide shopping carts/dollies that you can use to get your merchandise from your car to your booth. Please do not work your booth from the cart or block any aisles with merchandise. Instead, unload your merchandise from the cart into your booth and return the cart to the front door. This permits customers and other vendors to use the carts and also prevents blocking aisles, and shoppers.

When loading out, please be sure to have your items arranged/boxed so they can be checked by staff. This is an additional layer of security to protect your merchandise. We appreciate your patience and understanding!

If you have trash from working in your booth, please dispose of it in our trash cans by the front door. We do accept boxes that are in good condition and can be reused to pack merchandise for customers. We can also use newspapers (still folded only), bubble wrap and plastic bags. In addition, we recycle aluminum cans, plastic bottles (empty), and most paper. Please give to staff for recycling.

SECTION 10: MARKING DOWN MERCHANDISE

As outlined in Section 18, we do our very best to prevent theft. You can help by using a red pen to mark down your item and put your initials next to marked down amount. Please be very clear whether the discount is a percent off or dollar amount.

Vendors should call the store if they are giving a discount price to customer. The customer should not be one to tell us as we usually call the vendor anyway to verify.

SECTION 11: BOOTH-WIDE SALES

Due to our Point of Software (POS) requirements and to streamline customer checkout, all booth-wide sales must include all merchandise except items marked “firm” or items already reduced/marked down. For example, items under $10.00 may not be excluded from your booth-wide sale nor may “firm” items be included in your sale. Please highlight in yellow or mark in red ink.

If you would like to do a sale on your entire booth, we provide sales signs you may use. Ask the counter staff for these signs. We sometimes use new colors for big events. Before putting up booth-wide sale signs, please notify the counter staff so that we can enter your sale into the computer system. All sale signs must be in a frame.

You may use your own sale signs as long as they are computer-generated and printed on a printer. Handwritten signs are not allowed. If you do make your own signs, please make sure they include your vendor number, the words “off original price” and “excludes marked as firm”. You may purchase plastic sign stands from us. Please check with staff for availability and pricing.

We check for expired sales every evening and do our best to take down your signs when your sale is expired. However, you are ultimately responsible for putting up and taking down your own sale signs. If your sale sign is still up after your sale expires, we may honor customer requests for the sale discount.

SECTION 12: DEALER AND CUSTOMER DISCOUNT POLICIES

(NEW POLICY -JAN 2021) In an effort to encourage customers to buy on the spot while also reducing the number of times we call you; we may give customers up to a 10% discount on items priced $50 or more that are not marked “firm” or already discounted.

We recommend you keep these discount policies in mind when pricing your merchandise. You want to make sure your items are priced to cover the possible 10% discount as well as the 8% fee. These discounts will usually be noted on your sales report with “cust disc”. We ask for grace in advance if we don’t always do this – sometimes it gets super busy! If you like to opt out of this policy, please let staff know ASAP!

We will only call you with a special offer from a customer on merchandise priced more than $50.00. If we are unable to reach you, we will do our best to get the customer’s information so that we can call them back after we hear back from you. Our staff is instructed to get a specific dollar amount offer from the customer and not just call you for your “best price.” We don’t want you to offer a price lower than the customer was willing to pay! And remember, you do not have to accept the offer! You can counteroffer or you can decline it altogether. We do our best to note these as “per vendor” on your sales report so you’ll remember why the item was discounted. If implemented, we will offer the customer up to 10% discount on the spot. Most likely starting with a 5% offer.

We keep “Special Deals” slips of paper at the front counter. If you negotiate a special price with a customer for them to act on in the near future, please tell staff and tell the customer to let us know that the negotiated price is in the “Special Deals” area on the back counter. This saves us from bothering you with a phone call to verify the price.

Please remember that vendors may not make direct sales to customers or other vendors from their booths or from the parking lot. We are required by law to process all sales on property through the register. Not doing so could result in us having to pay fines and/or losing our business license. If we discover you are selling items directly to customers or other vendors onsite and bypassing the register, we may terminate your lease with cause.

SECTION 13: LAWAWAY POLICY

We offer layaway services on items priced $100 or more. Multiple items totaling $100 from the same vendor qualify for a layaway purchase. Our terms are 33.3% down, 33.3% in 30 days with the balance due in 60 days.

No refunds are given on layaway purchases unless the vendor agrees. Sale items may be placed in layaway. The store offers lay-a-way signs at the front counter.

Layaway purchases/payments will be marked as such on your sales reports. The initial payment will show as LSale and subsequent payments will show as LPmnt.

SECTION 14: SPECIAL EVENTS

We host several major sale events during the year such as our Anniversary Sale in November, our Summer Sale in July, and our Spring sale in March. We promote these events as “store-wide with 10-75% off sales in every booth” to increase foot traffic. Most participate in these events with at least a 10% off sale – excluding items marked “firm” or already discounted. For these events, we also have complimentary food and refreshments for customers to enjoy while they shop. We appreciate when our vendors help with food or by volunteering! We also ask vendors to contribute door prizes that help keep up shopper enthusiasm. In addition, we have “pop-up” vendors and outside spaces available on a first-come-first-served basis. Our sales during these events are usually three times as large as during a regular weekend.

Please remember that during our major events, we ask vendors to please not load in/out. This includes if you are moving out. Our staff is extremely busy helping shoppers during these events. We will always remind you of this ahead of time through our newsletter, emails, and our Vendors-only Facebook group.

In addition to these major events, we host other events on a regular basis.

• Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Santa Claus, and Dallas Cowboys ticket/gift basket events have been very popular.

In addition, we do a holiday food drive for the Duncanville Interfaith Ministries. We ask vendors and customers to bring various food items for donation and we match donations from vendors who run their own fundraising program such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Dates of all our events are published in advance and are also listed in our emails, on our Facebook page, and in our Vendors-Only Facebook group.

SECTION 15: MARKETING AND ADVERTISING

We typically spend between $1,000 and $1,500 a month on advertising. This usually increases during the months we have large events.
We heavily promote all our events on social media, primarily Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We also run ads almost continuously to promote our Facebook page and increase our likes and followers, thereby increasing our audience.

We usually run ads every month in Southwest Now Magazine. We typically have between 1/3- and 1/2-page ads. Additionally, we may run print ads for our major events in the Focus Daily News.

Another significant part of our marketing strategy is our email list. As of January 2021, we have nearly 2,000 people on our list. We are continuously growing our list with sign-up sheets at the front counter, door prize giveaways at events, and through our website.

We send emails almost every week announcing events, classes, and sales. If you would like to be included in an email, just send us a brief article (250-300 words) about your journey as a vendor, how you got started, where you find items, how to recognize quality items, or a similar topic.

SECTION 16: VENDOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

To help you market and grow your booth business, we have developed several advertising opportunities for our vendors. Most of these are completely free!

“Meet Our Vendors” Newsletter Feature – You can be featured in our customer newsletter we send to nearly 2,000 people. All you need to do is write 2-3 paragraphs about YOU – how you got started, what kind of merchandise you sell, where you find it, etc. We also like to have some photos to go along with it. This one is completely free! Send us your story and photos and we’ll do the rest.

“Meet Our Vendors” Website Page – We’d love to feature you on our website and Facebook page. Just write a brief paragraph – about 100-200 words – about you and your booth and send it to us along with some photos. We’ll post it on our website/Facebook page for everyone to see! Don’t forget to include links to your Facebook and Instagram pages, too. We offer this free of charge as well.

Your Own Website/Facebook Page Please consider creating your own website, Facebook, or Instagram page. We will link, share, like on yours creating a stronger presence for Knick Knacks on social media.

Merchandise Feature on Facebook and Instagram – We post 3-5 times a day on Facebook and several times a week on Instagram. Send us some great photos of your merchandise to be featured. The best photos are close-ups of your merchandise with plenty of light, clear (not blurry) and show price tag. Please send us your photos via Facebook Messenger.

Facebook – We love to share your Facebook pages and posts to our page. We’ve had several vendors tell us they got many new Likes after we shared their page or post. We’ll soon be at 4,000 followers on FB. Take advantage of this big audience! The best way to make sure we share your post is to tag us and then send us a message that you have a post you’d like us to share.

Instagram – If you tag us in a post on Instagram, we’ll Like it and comment on it. If you tag us in a story, we’ll reshare it to our stories. This helps you because the more Likes and comments your posts get, the more people IG will share your post with which helps you get more exposure and followers.

SECTION 17: VENDOR-ONLY EVENTS

We believe that something wonderful happens when a community comes together. The support, encouragement, and friendship we get from each other is priceless! To that end, we love getting our vendors together as much as possible.

Occasionally, we host vendor-only events prior to store opening on Saturday with donuts/coffee or other food items. This includes vendor-only work hours before store opening.

SECTION 18: SECURITY AND LOSS PREVENTION

We use all possible strategies to prevent theft. In 2019 we installed new HD cameras with night vision throughout the market recording 24/7. One is trained specifically on the front door to catch everyone coming and going. This has been successfully used to identify a few thieves. Because human presence is better than any camera system, we also have staff walking the floor regularly. In addition, a number of vendors have their own security camera systems.

The store has sensor tags security towers on either side of the front door. Vendors can purchase/rent various types of security tags from the store staff. They include pin hole, pin hole with strap, stick on, and others.

Additional security procedures include:

• Please stop at the front desk for staff to check your boxes and items taken out.
• We ask customers to put their large purses, backpacks, coats, and other items in our lockers by the front door.
• When you remove merchandise, including empty boxes, our staff will check your items and boxes. With 150+ vendors, our staff may not recognize you by sight.
• We encourage vendors to wear nametags anytime you are in the store. The visual effect of so many Knick Knacks people will reduce shoplifting. We also provide paper nametags in plastic sleeves for no charge. Just let us know if you’d like one!
• We can order a Knick Knacks T-Shirt for you at cost, currently $13.
• Please do not leave extra price tags or sale tags in your booth. This makes it easy for customers to pick them up and write a faked new tag with a lower price.
• If you see customers carrying merchandise, please ask them if you can take it to the front hold counter for them. They can shop better and buy more with empty hands. Additionally, speaking to customers alerts shoplifters that we are paying attention, encouraging them to leave and go somewhere else. Also, let customers know we have carts and baskets for their use.
• If you see someone conceal merchandise in any way, such as putting in a pocket, bag, or under their jacket, please notify a staff member. Our staff have instructions to call the Duncanville Police Department who have assured us they will gladly come and take care of any issues we need help with.
• If you see any situation that causes you concern, please let a staff member know immediately. This includes any suspicious behavior, unsafe conditions, or anything that seems out of place. In short, if you see something, say something to staff. Don’t handle yourself.

Remember that we are unable to insure your merchandise or reimburse you for any lost, damaged, or stolen items. We recommend you carry your own insurance policy to protect yourself. Please see the next section for more details about insurance.

SECTION 19: INSURANCE AND LIABILITY

Because we cannot insure something we do not own, we do not carry fire, theft, casualty, or liability insurance on your merchandise or booth. Insurance for booth contents and customer liability is the responsibility of each individual vendor.

We are not liable for loss of merchandise by theft or breakage. If you have valuable items that you are concerned about, we recommend you attach security tags to them or put those items in a locked showcase and purchase an insurance policy to protect yourself from possible loss. If we witness a customer breaking an item, we do our best to collect 50% of the selling price from the customer; however, we cannot force the customer to pay for broken items.

Currently, we do not require you to carry an insurance policy to be a vendor. However, we do reserve the right to change that in the future.

SECTION 20: LOST AND FOUND

If you have an item missing and it has not sold, please look around the store. Missing items are usually found in another booth on the same aisle or in another booth with similar items. Don’t forget to check with staff. We hold Lost and Found items for 30 days. In addition, items may be posted on the Vendor-Only FB page.

SECTION 21: OTHER POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Pricing Errors: With the high volume of merchandise being sold, combined with the fact that each item must be manually typed in, it’s unavoidable that mistakes will be made. Vendors are responsible for notifying staff of any errors within 30 days. Every vendor is provided the opportunity to check your sales daily online through our Webposter portal (kk.webposter.net). We appreciate it if you do not wait until you receive your monthly sales statement to review your transactions. It’s much easier to fix an error before twice-a-month statements have been processed. We remove and save tags for 30 days. If we are unable to remove your tag and there is a discrepancy about how much was charged, we default to what was charged at the time of checkout as there is no supporting documentation.

Return Policy: Our stated policy is that all sales are final. However, there may be circumstances from time to time that warrant accepting a return or exchange. We reserve the right to make that decision in the interest of providing the best customer experience possible. For example, if your price tag says an item works and the customer gets it home and it doesn’t, we will waive our return policy, accept the item back, and refund the customer. In addition, a vendor can authorize staff to accept a return.

Weather Policy: If the Duncanville School District is closed due to weather, Knick Knacks will also be closed. If we are closed due to weather or any other circumstance outside of our control (power outage, loss of utilities, pandemic, etc.), Vendors will not be compensated or refunded rent.

Workshops & Classes: If you would like to host a workshop or class, we invite you to use our break area/workspace in the back of store. There is a separate fee which includes the space, tables, chairs, utilities, staff, and advertising/promotion. Please let us know if you’re interested and we’ll provide the details and reservation form.

Custom Orders: Some vendors may decide to accept custom orders from customers. We encourage you to provide customers with your contact information in your booth via business cards or signage so that you can work directly with them on special orders and requests. Please see us if you would like us to accept and process custom orders for you. You will need to provide an order form with instructions for both customers and our staff and we will need to establish a process and schedule for these orders. Due to the increase in staff work needed to handle such orders, there is a higher commission fee collected for these items. Please let a staff member know if you are interested, and we will schedule a time to meet with you to discuss all the details.

Alcohol: Alcohol is not permitted on site. If a vendor is discovered using alcohol on site, they will be asked to leave. If it becomes a constant problem their lease may be canceled for cause.

SECTION 22: ETIQUETTE

We believe that the way we talk to and treat each other is important. Not only does it affect how we get along with each other, but customers also notice it and won’t come back if the atmosphere is negative. We do our best to give each other lots of grace and understand that we all have moments of stress and irritation. At the same time, we do our best to treat each other with kindness and compassion.

With that in mind, we will not tolerate an ongoing pattern of rude or poor behavior. Vendors who cannot conduct themselves in a polite manner, whether dealing with customers, staff, other vendors, or Knick Knicks owners, will be asked to leave the store. If the behavior continues, we may cancel your lease with cause.

Our entire team is here to help you in any way we can. Please remember that our staff may be busy helping customers or with other work and may not be able to visit with you for too long. In order to minimize distractions and errors, only clocked-in staff are allowed behind the counter unless a vendor is helping to wrap customers purchases.

If you notice trash or other messes in a booth, please help your fellow vendors by picking it up. If there are items that need more attention, please let the counter staff know so they can make sure it gets handled.

You are welcome to use the break area as a Vendor Work Area/Classroom at the back of the store with chairs and tables you can use if you need to price or prepare merchandise. Please dispose of your trash and wipe off the tables and keep microwave clean.

SECTION 22: HOW TO REACH US

We invite you to contact us at any time with any questions or concerns.

We can be reached on email at sarith@knickknacks.com or rich@knickknacks.com.

The store phone number is 972-283-9007. We’re also available through Facebook Messenger and direct message on Instagram.

Quick Guide

Please Like us on Facebook and join our Vendors-Only group by searching Knick Knacks Vendors and asking to join.

Don’t forget to sign up for our Vendor Portal on our website to access all our resources.

Check your sales online each night

• Go to https://kk.webposter.net/
• Your vendor number and password were selected by during signing of your lease.
• “Current Sales” shows your sales for the current month. “Sales History” shows you past months.

Payment and Advertising/Promotional Fees

• 8% FLAT fee
• This is an all-inclusive fee that covers credit card fees, sales tax processing costs, postage, supplies, and a portion of our advertising costs.

Working Your Booth

• You’re welcome to work your booth any time during our regular business hours.
• There are carts available for your use. Please load all your items onto a cart.
• Please help us keep the amount of time the door is open to a minimum. Opening the door lets out cool air in the summer and heat in the winter.

Sales and Markdowns

• Sale signs are available from the front counter staff.
• Make sure to let the counter staff know when you are running a sale so they can enter it into the computer.
• All sales signs must be in a frame.