58. Organize a “Thrift Shop.”
It’s a fancy name for a store for secondhand, miscellaneous cast-off goods, but it is often most successful. There are hundreds of things of value which people throw or give away to anybody who will take over—yet they have sales value. Such items as old fur coats, and other apparel, old china and ornaments, furniture, pictures, etc., you will be surprised to know, may be quite profitable items. People are relieved to be rid of many things today, for space reasons, for nowadays space is at a premium. You assemble all such goods by asking for it; sometimes paying small sums for it, and then cleaning and arranging all these items as attractively as possible and inviting customers to come in and browse around. Somehow what one person is willing to part with is quite often worth real money to others. Be smart and keep the turnover going fairly fast; disposing of slow-selling items at constantly declining prices until they move. Many people have a passion for patronizing such thrift shops, always in the hope of picking up a rare bargain—which they right often do!
59. Operate a Collection Agency.
Experience shows that the best way to collect smaller debts from average folk is by personal local contact. People will dispute, delay and defy far-off creditors, but when someone in their own community contacts them they are likely to pay, as they value their local reputation. Thus there is room in every community for a small, one-man collection agency not only for collecting jobs for out of town firms, but for local work, too. There is a technique to a good collection service, which is very effective.
60. Install Aluminum Hand Railings.
Sounds to be an off-trail business. Many homes and other buildings never did put in needful hand-railing which should be there to protect life and limb. It doesn’t take long to convince on this point, for railings on stairs, terraces, porches, etc. Cast aluminum railings are neat, light and can readily be affixed to wood, stone, earth, concrete.
61. Weave at Home, Make Hooked Rugs, etc.
Just like your great grandmother, you can profit by operating a loom in your home, to make small woolen rugs, drapes, tweeds, ties, shawls, scarfs, etc. They are very much in demand when neatly woven, attractively colored.
For hooked rugs there is a quite lively sale. You can make them without difficulty. First, buy and read the book Practical Hooked Rugs. Then for ideas subscribe to McCalls Needlework Magazine.
62. Do Pen Lettering, Scrolls.
Once upon a time, over a century ago, there were many penmen making a living doing elaborate scroll work. A Pennsylvania Dutch birth or wedding certificate was something wonderful to behold. But today, too, there is some demand for pen lettering of various kinds; and with the new lettering pens, techniques, etc. there are many uses. Few retailers are without the need, regularly, of signs and letterings. Give your hand a penmanship education, and then seek business in your neighborhood. You’ll find it.
63. Make Mats out of Old Tires.
The other day a big tire company executive announced that soon you’ll be able to buy tires that won’t wear out for the life of a car! They are already pretty nearly indestructible! Even when ready to give up on a car, they have usefulness left. In poor countries they make shoes out of them. New techniques now transform them into ever-wearing door mats. It’s a business perhaps for you!
64. Re-String Tennis Racquets.
Tennis racquets are fairly tender objects, and if you’re a lively player you’ll want thoroughly taut, snappy racquets to play with. It is a business that can be made profitable to lace new gut into a racquet and make it as good as new. You can do it! People are grateful for it, as it renders new racquet buying unnecessary.
65. Upholster Old Chairs and Sofas.
Too many people are ready to throw out a chair or sofa when the fabric cover breaks or there’s a scratch. This is silly, as there is expensive understructure remaining, usually practically as strong as ever. You have an opportunity here. You can set up a small shop in your home and get plenty of work. Learn about it.
66. Paint Flag Poles, Smoke-Stacks, etc.
If you’re an adventurous and not a hopelessly giddy type you can make very good money indeed, specializing in painting very high, difficult places. A large premium cost is usually gladly paid. Yet the facilities for this work nowadays are very competent and safe. It merely looks hard and dangerous. But of course you must be a steady-nerved person.
67. Raise Geese.
There’s a special reason besides the fact that they are good to eat. They have valuable feathers for pillows. (Note: the new foam rubber pillows cannot equal a nice pillow of goose feathers!) Even the army wants more feathers.
68. Make Cleaners, Soaps, Polishes, Cosmetics.
People still like to buy home-made material of this kind, and if you make them right, they are unbeatable. If you sell a customer one item, you usually sell more. Have a line; label them with an attractive name-label.
69. Bake Greaseless Donuts.
We no longer regard doughnuts as deadly enemies of our digestion, because nowadays they are made without a lot of grease clinging to them. And unbelievable millions of them are consumed; in various forms. Many food shops, grocers, restaurants, bars and grills, drug store and lunch counters are very actually eager to buy fresh-made home-made ones daily, if they are well made. It’s a steady business.
70. Sell Used Clothing.
Doesn’t sound good, but a phenomenal volume of business is done in old clothing. There is a market among the poor. Reason for a large supply available is the rapid “obsolescence” of fashion, and the American habit of not wearing clothes out, buying new clothes seasonably. Therefore much “old clothes” would (in most foreign places) be nearly new, and still useful. You can get a supply of such clothes locally or elsewhere, just by asking for it, or paying children a pittance. Sell at startling low prices (such as 65¢ for woolen overcoats $1.50 for woolen suits, 15 cents for dresses!) to stores in poor sections of town.
71. Fix Damaged Furniture.
With the new repair materials available today it isn’t necessary to let varnished surfaces of furniture which are cracked, dented, blemished go on looking defective. You can greatly please customers by fixing these defects. It isn’t hard to do or learn.
72. Be A Local Researcher.
You probably don’t know it but a hundred or two research firms, advertising agencies, periodicals, radio companies, “pollsters”, etc. operate with hundreds of local resident researchers scattered all over the country. These researchers ask questions of people and put down the answers on questionaire forms furnished them. They do this either by personal contact or by telephone, and are paid on a per unit basis. Some of this work is constant, others intermittent. Some of it calls for visits to neighboring territory, or even farms, by auto. It is interesting work, fairly well paid.
You can write to a list of the research companies. Give education, experience, territory you can cover, and they will probably file your data for possible use. If you live in a city, call on all the advertising agents in town, to see if they can use you. Also newspaper advertising departments. If you live in a small town, contact the national agencies. Write to Department of Commerce, Washington, D. C. for a copy of “Market Research Sources” booklet which gives list of research firms.
73. Teach a Specialty or “Coach”.
This is a day of many kinds of adult study courses. If you have a good basis of special knowledge, why not organize a “class” and teach it? Meet in your home, or at any other feasible place. Charge about $10.00 to $20.00 for a course of ten sessions. You may even find a department store, or the local YMCA or YWCA, or business school, or even a church or social settlement, which will hire you to give a course. Even a cooking or cake-baking course, or baby sitting or home millinery making, or almost any technique will interest women. Technical subjects interest men. Coaching pupils in studies is another way to earn.
74. Supply and Arrange Flowers to Hotels, Stores, Restaurants, Even Churches.
Many hotels have an arrangement of this sort; you agree to keep the vases in lobby, dining room, parlors, etc. filled all year long with appropriate flowers; and also, on call, decorate banquet tables. Stores and restaurants often like this plan—even churches, even funeral parlors, even public institutions, offices, etc. Make a deal with one or more flower wholesalers or hot-houses, and be prompt, careful, neat, artistic, resourceful.
75. Do Free-Lance Publicity.
Everybody likes publicity; few know how to do it appropriately, gracefully, effectively. The ambitious, socially prominent women or men of your town or community all will appreciate competent attention to publicity. When there’s a wedding, coming-out party or other social event, it is important that the publicity be handled rightly. All organizations, even churches, and charitable institutions need it. Study the subject, then send your card to a carefully developed list and make some personal contacts. Get well acquainted with your local newspapers—even ask their advice and suggestions. See any advertising agents there are—they may have work for you on a “free lance” basis. (Free lance” means operating on your own, not as a salaried person, and being open to serve various clients in various ways).
76. Be a “Home Secretary”.
This simply means that you offer your secretarial, typing, stenographic or general detail services to people in their homes, at odd, part-time hours, on an hourly fee of $2.00 or more per hour. This means typing or taking dictation from someone, man or woman, who works at home or is invalided, or taking care of the business details of some busy man or woman’s personal or miscellaneous activities. Your client may be a busy society woman, an author, a retired business man or whatnot. It is a most interesting line of work.
77. Be A “Candid Shot” Photographer.
If you have a good “candid camera” and are skilled in its use, you can make quite a good income in three or four ways. Arrange with night clubs, restaurants, hotels for permission to take candid shots of diners there, either of prominent personages, which the restaurant or hotel can use for publicity, or by order from the diners themselves. You can also take group pictures of group meetings, dinners, etc, with an assistant.
Such candid photography is also lucrative when done to order at home functions, organization meetings, weddings, etc.
78. Give Cold Wave “Permanents” to Women in Homes.
The new cold wave permanents, now very popular, make readily possible a service in the home. You can let women know that you are available by appointment to give superior cold wave permanents, and charge whatever is a locally acceptable rate. You can do this service without qualifying as a beautician or hairdresser; but can extend your service by taking courses in hairdressing and treatment. A moderate price will yield plenty of appointments for cold waves.
79. Set up a “Toy Fair” in Your Home.
You may not know it, but parents are frequently, baffled about toys for their youngsters. They don’t know what is suitable, wise or which will interest the youngster. Ludicrous mistakes are frequently made in giving children toys much “too old” or “too young” for their ages.
Suppose you set up in one of your rooms a “toy fair” with toys classified for sex and age, type and kind, and stress in particular educational toys. It is remarkable and fascinating what toys are today avail, able for children. In the last few years literally thousands of new toys have appeared, America is now world-leader in toys. You can invite parents to visit your Toy Fair and discuss their toy needs with you; perhaps bring their children with them to try out their interest. You can have literature, and catalogs available from many toy companies, and take orders for toys.
80. Make Quilts at Home for Sale.
You’d be surprised how many people like quilts better than blankets and want some in their homes. But, unlike their grandmothers, they haven’t time to make them themselves. Here is your chance, as you can put creative artistry and quality into them and get a fair price. If you live along a well traveled highway you could hang out a quilt sign and get customers. Or you could sell some to individuals by mail, by personal call or telephone call, or local advertising.
81. Embed Real Flowers in Plastic.
People are startled and delighted with this new art, which is really very simple. You use liquid casting plastic and embed real flowers in it. They stay real and colorful. You can make them into jewelry, candle holders, book-ends, picture frames, figurines. And you can imbed thus not only flowers but coins, photos, butterflies, etc. to make plaques, paper weights, tiles, etc. Simple tools will do it.
82. Breed Tropical Fish.
A most enjoyable money-making idea! Strange and colorful fish breed rapidly and sell for good money. Very few people fail to take interest in a little home aquarium, and many become immensely interested. There is endless variety! “Tetrums” that light up like neon signs; “Gouram” that are 12 different colors! Actually hundreds of varieties of small fish. You can sell not only to homes, but to restaurants, hotels, offices, theatres, offices, etc.
83. Sell Card Table Advertising Space.
An odd idea, but it is making money for churches, organizations and for individuals. Members sell advertising space on tops of lovely card tables.
84. Sell Current Books Locally.
You can earn a neat extra income by serving as a book buyer for people you know. Get a small note-size letterhead printed—” Jane Doe, Bookseller” and you will be able to order books. (cash in advance, or on credit, at 25% to 33 1/3% discount from book publishers, and thus secure for customers the book they want promptly. You can offer your customers 10% discount, and by having printed a gummed address label with your name and address on it, you can ask the book publisher to mail the book direct to your customer. You simply send one of these labels, addressed to the customer; to the book publisher with your order. He will mail the book direct. You charge the customer the 12 cents postage. People are very glad to have someone look up the publishers and order the books they want. They don’t often visit bookstores, and don’t always know the exact names of the books they want. You can serve them.
85. Be an Interior Decorator or Consultant.
Even if you don’t plan to go into this field fully, professionally, you can profitably operate some part of it if you have really good taste and are alert to all the new trends, materials, interior styles and ideas of plan and arrangement. You can ask a $25.00 fee for consultation in planning an apartment; help decide on color scheme, etc. Full professional service would be to actually buy and oversee installation of everything, and get 20% professional discount on purchases from supply houses. But you may want merely a well-deserved fee for talking over or deciding on color, type of furniture, etc. You may ask more if more than one or two rooms are to be planned; and an extra fee if you are asked to go along when purchasing is done. Read the interior decorating magazines.
86. Do Photographic Specialties.
Photography is a great money maker for many people-never more than today. A rich variety of oddities and specialties are now helping a lot of people to set up little businesses of their own. Here are some of them:
Photo stamps—make gummed stamps printed from anybody’s negative film (old or new; sell at a dollar or two for 100.)
87. Teach Dancing.
Either to adults, or to children. There is good patronage for anyone who has a suitable dance floor space and good personality. Many adults are poor dancers; also many adolescents. They want very much to learn the new steps. Parents like to give their young girls early dancing lessons to enhance personal gracefulness of figure. Set up a suit, able place, and issue cards to logical prospects.
88. Sell Like a “Hostess.”
One of the most original ideas ever developed in selling is that of the Welcome Wagon Co. with its “hostesses”. In this company’s hundreds of branches the women who act as “hostesses” call on people who move into the vicinity, on the very first day they move there, to give them advice as to local shopping, and leave samples of merchandise, courtesy of local merchants, etc. This hostess tells the newcomers all that they usually want and need to know about the neighborhood, and show such generosity as inviting them to lunch in a local restaurant or store. They also give free delivery for 2 weeks of the local paper, and tickets to the movie. The hostess has a pre-arrangement with the stores, movie houses, etc. about all these items; each merchant paying about $1.25 per call made. Even nationally advertised products cooperate.
The point is you can operate your own “welcome” plan in your neighborhood or your own town. Call on the merchants and tell them your plan, which can also include credit cards entitling the new resident to her first quart of milk free from the dairy, her first bundle of laundry free from the laundry, her first dress cleaned from the cleaners, a box of cookies from the bakery, etc. or a $1.00 credit on her first order for groceries, etc. You can write to big material advertisers yourself and probably obtain samples for distribution; if you have the local retailers endorsement. This plan can be used not only for new residents, but for new customers.
An additional idea is to work up among the retailers of a neighborhood shopping center a special bargain day or week; perhaps feature one week special bargains on laundry, another week special bargains in groceries, next week one on drugs, etc. You can work out the details, get up the publicity, collecting a dollar or two from every retailer cooperating.
Continued in Pt2c…
