Neighbourhood school supplies shop

Parents and students buying from school supply lists, teachers buying for their classrooms, and local schools, daycares and tutoring centres ordering in bulk.

Retail margin on products sold at the counter, plus bulk orders and pre-packed class kits for schools. Sales peak in late summer and again in January.

• Choosing and ordering stock
• Friendly customer service
• Basic bookkeeping and inventory tracking

• Check with your municipality for a business licence and any zoning or signage rules
• Commercial general liability and contents insurance
• Big-box stores and online retailers compete hard on price, so plan for service and local convenience
• Heavy seasonality means cash can be tight outside back-to-school, so check how much stock you can afford to hold
• GST/HST and provincial sales tax rules differ by province, and in Quebec check the French-language rules for signs and displays

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $30,000 to $100,000, depending on your premises, fit-out and how much stock you buy. Seasonality means cash can be tight outside back-to-school, so check how much stock you can afford.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $8,000 to $35,000, depending on your location, range and the time of year. Big-box stores and online retailers compete on price, so plan to stand out on service and local convenience.

Check with your municipality about a business licence and any zoning or signage rules. Also check insurance, how GST/HST and provincial sales tax apply in your province, and, in Quebec, the French-language rules for signs and displays.