Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 225: Chapter 222: Scouting the Shop Chapter 225: Chapter 222: Scouting the Shop “`

Once she had the raw materials, Bai Yishan’s actions were quite swift. The preparatory work for the studio was quickly completed, and she even secured a small storefront on Antique Street, just an alley away from Huo Sining’s Xianyu Shop near Chenghuang Temple, to serve as the workshop’s retail space.

Bai Yishan wanted to aim for the high-end market, where the storefront did not need deliberate embellishment. Those who truly understood jadeite were concerned with its inherent value rather than superficial appearances.

However, even with that in mind, a brick-and-mortar store was still indispensable. After all, having the goods but no physical location could make customers feel uncertain and possibly reluctant to trust in the purchase.

Once she decided, Bai Yishan began to look for shop transfer information online. Opening a physical store was an art in itself. A jade shop did not have to be in the opulent city center’s commercial areas; the most crucial aspects were the store’s potential, environmental conditions, and customer needs.

Having her raw materials, Bai Yishan was not worried about her products lacking a market. Unlike other goods, jadeite did not have an expiration issue; it increased in value over time. Moreover, customers would have no qualms about other matters as long as the jadeite had good quality, translucence, and color.

Coincidentally, while Bai Yishan was busy looking for a shop, Huo Sining happened to hear from Old Fish that one of his friends had made a big loss due to a misjudgment in the neighboring Antique Street. The shop had gained a bad reputation and was not making ends meet, leading to the decision to transfer ownership.

Armed with this information, Huo Sining immediately called Bai Yishan, who, without a moment’s hesitation, rushed over upon hearing the news.

Huo Sining had previous experience with acquiring Xianyu Shop, so she had some knowledge in this area. Before visiting the antique shop owner, she researched the information provided by Old Fish online.

The Antique Street where the shop was located, aside from banks, did not house other unrelated businesses such as supermarkets or fashion malls; it mainly dealt with antiques and jade artifacts. The shops were varied, but the majority had been in business for many years and were reputable establishments.

While the street was not the most famous Antique Street in Magic Capital, it boasted a stable clientele. In addition to being near Chenghuang Temple, it attracted many tourists from other places each day. Consequently, shops here would rarely ever rent out or sell their spaces unless absolutely necessary.

Upon seeing this information, Huo Sining immediately sensed an opportunity. If Bai Yishan was not interested, she would find a way to take over the shop herself.

What is known is that property prices in S City had begun to surge in recent years. Buying property or shops now was a golden period. A few years later, when prices skyrocket, it would be too late to buy.

Bai Yishan had not considered the rising property issue. However, after following Old Fish and Huo Sining to the store, she fell in love with the place at first sight.

This area belonged to the domain of Chenghuang Temple and, like Flower Bird Insect Fish Street where Huo Sining’s Xianyu Shop was situated, could be considered an old street. It lacked the noise and modernization of commercial streets, but the cultural ambiance remained intact, offering a sense of seclusion amidst the mountains and the marketplace.

Bai Yishan immediately realized that this shop was her best option and entered without any hesitation.

The shop dealt in antiques, but only a few items remained on the Curio Shelf and in the display cases, indicating that the owner was likely clearing out the inventory.

There was just one middle-aged man sitting at the counter doing his accounts. As Huo Sining and her companions entered, he moved the beads of his abacus and asked, “What are you looking to purchase today?”

As he spoke, he lifted his head to glance at the three at the door. His gaze faltered slightly upon resting on Old Fish. “Elder Yu, what brings you here?”

Old Fish smiled, “Didn’t you mention a few days ago that you wanted to transfer your shop? How’s it going, has your shop been sold?”

Upon hearing this, the owner gave a bitter smile, the corners of his eyes and brows betraying an unspeakable weariness, “No, not yet. My shop is not big enough for significant business. Antique shops are considered inauspicious, and nobody wants to take it over. It has me so worried, the creditors are pressing hard, and I’m thinking of selling off the antiques from the storeroom at the lowest price I can manage.”

“`

Old Fish’s worries abated when he heard this. He exchanged a glance with Huo Sining and Bai Yishan, and seeing Bai Yishan nod, he understood and got straight to the point:

“Why worry so much, when there’s always a way out? Look, I’ve found a buyer for you. These two young ladies happen to be planning to open a shop. They heard that you’re looking to transfer your lease, so I brought them over to have a look.”

Two young girls opening a shop on Antique Street? The shop owner looked Huo Sining and her companion up and down in surprise, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

However, the owner was a businessman after all, and his response was swift, “That’s wonderful, what kind of shop do you two want to open? Why don’t I give you a tour around the place?”

Bai Yishan heard this and nodded, and the shop owner showed them around the store.

The shop spanned just over forty square meters and appeared quite small. Before coming here, Huo Sining had noticed that most of the other antique shops on this street were similar in size, which must have been intentional on the part of the developers.

The storefront was divided into two floors, with a small rest area partitioned off on the lower level.

The upstairs space was a spacious, open room with no partitions, which the owner used as a storage area.

Such a shop area was about the size of a normal convenience store. Indeed it seemed too small for other businesses; probably only antique jade artifacts would be suitable.

But Bai Yishan didn’t mind these things. After all, she was taking over the shop not to deal with antiques but to sell jadeite products, which are in a different league. She didn’t have to adhere to the same superstitions, so she had no objections.

Moreover, she could partition the room upstairs into several small compartments for use as offices, clearly meeting her requirements.

The shop owner probably knew that it would be difficult to sell this storefront and now that he had finally found a buyer, he certainly didn’t want to miss the opportunity.

After Bai Yishan and Huo Sining tag-teamed to bargain with him, he reluctantly sold the shop to Bai Yishan at an extremely low price, his face a picture of misery.

The two women’s faces revealed triumphant smiles. In less than a day, Bai Yishan had completed the paperwork for the shop.

The shop owner’s subordinates were also very efficient, quickly clearing out the display cabinets and the antiques from the shop windows.

“Now that’s settled. Antique Street is so close to your Xianyu Shop, I’ll just pop over to your place for free meals and drinks when I have nothing to do,” Old Fish said.

Before, Bai Yishan was worried about not being able to find a shop, but as it turned out, there was no need to exhaust herself searching; the perfect solution had come effortlessly.

Not only was the location of the shop excellent and the price affordable, but it was also close to Huo Sining’s Xianyu Shop. Now that a major problem had been solved, Bai Yishan’s mood lightened considerably, and her smile was unstoppable.

Huo Sining, however, considered even more factors. Although it wasn’t her who was opening the shop, Bai Yishan’s studio would ultimately be where she sold her raw materials. A win-win relationship where they both thrived was obviously desirable, so of course, she hoped Bai Yishan’s studio would be as successful as possible.