My advice to you if you are going to open a traditional shopfront for your business is that you really do need to read and research as much as you can about retailing and retail techniques. As this book is primarily aimed at those wanting to start a home-based business, I can only really touch on what’s involved in opening a shop.

Despite the enormous impact of multi-retailers and the Internet on traditional niche retailers, I still believe that the high street offers great potential for the shrewd entrepreneur with a keen eye for niche products.

This is similar to the above. You can either just run an advice column or extend it to something a little more like allowing your visitors to post items for sale, items wanted, personal messages etc.