Thanks, ita. Now I am staring at my nose, wondering if it is grown up or juvenile. I have no paramters for either.

Holli, google "small business loans for women" and you will see a bunch of info. If you or your partner are a minority, I would also check out business loans for young entrepreneurs, or for a specific minority.

I would also check out competitors not only in your town, but in your area -- how far would you need to go to estate sales, auctions, etc. to get your merchandise, and who would you be up against to get your stock. Do you have a reliable vehicle with room for stock?

How are you going to clean and repair large quantities of vintage clothing? Storage? Display?

Do you have established credit?

ION, I need to get started on the pot roast.

Also remember in costs you've got insurance, taxes, including payroll taxes if you have employees, incorporation fees, etc. Your local SBA can really help you out with this stuff. There's also SCORE which is retired businesspeople who are willing to volunteer their expertise. They're great.

That is a juvenile nose. Now my face is creeping me out.

Also, I said this elsewhere, but there's no reason not to say it here, where I can be more nuanced about it.

Thank you servicemen and servicewomen and veterans. And thank you families of armed service personnel who I know go through a hell of a lot of sacrifice on our behalf. I am a pacifist and a pretty hard core one when it comes down to it. But while I wish your service wasn't required, you are out there, doing it, and paying the price, so thank you.

I think I have a juvenile nose, but it's on a juvenile face, so I guess that's okay? I had one of my just-out-of-school fellow volunteers this summer tell me it must be good for people to think I'm younger than I am at my age, but at hers it was a real pain. Hee. I stifled my laughter and then tried to commiserate about how difficult it was to get respect.

Tommy - [link]

The good news: I've knocked 'let credit card know you'll be travelling sometime' off my list.

The bad news: I did it after three credit card security lockdowns in the past two weeks (someone claiming to be you [which it was] attempted to purchase a "bagel", so we've locked your card entirely), by throwing a very controlled hissy fit. I do not want a credit card that I'm afraid to rely on. Do not. This has happened before. wtf.

eta: not traveling yet - that's not the reason for whatever is happening. it's just apparently that I keep coming up on the random number generator masquerading as this card's security algorithm.

My mother, when I was growing up, would periodically stare at me, sigh, and say "I don't know *where* you got that nose." Because it is fairly petite, as noses go, especially compared to most of my family.

Thanks, Erin! We're trying to sort out the answers to those questions right now. Also, I might end up moving to Richmond where rents are a lot lower (and where my potential future business partner lives).

Tommy - [link]

Heh.

Actually I posted that yesterday, but not a link to Thinkgeek (some other site was showing it).

oh gosh. der. /shameface/

My plastic surgeon uncle used to say he'd totally give people my nose. I think he should give people grownup noses. Like my father, or my sister.

I no longer know what I'm supposed to look like at my age. I'm just fairly sure this isn't it. Which is totally not a problem! I just think my nose belongs to a five-year old.

Okay, I think I'm going to go home. Meep.