Do you have a retail shop? In our town I rent a little space in The Lazy Daisy. Our town is full of antique shops & consignment stores, which makes the trip here worth it. But The Daisy is the most shop-able and affordable and mostly right on with the trends (really!).
I don’t own the store so I just have to worry about my own area but it’s located right at the front entrance so I want to give a good impression from the first step inside.
I picked up this old scrap wood and stenciled our town zip codes on them. One has the beginning letter to our town name behind it. I like to encourage town pride and a sense of community. (I experienced that “town pride” in New England when we lived in Connecticut)
Stacking and layering a variety of items together is fun because at home I would love to do this but it just isn’t functional with the way we live but at the shop I can layer my dining table with burlap, a ladder, lantern and a tall topiary.
This is a crate set upward with wheels. I can fit more in my small space by displaying vertically.
I like to throw a wreath over anything I possibly can - it adds that “earthy” touch that I love so much.
Handmade items sell the best. This is a thrift store piece of wood that had toll painting designs on it in bright colors. I sanded and painted over it to make it my own style. It’s also a little reminder to think of our little friends in nature who are searching for food in the ice and snow.
Since I don’t use a lot of color in my space I try to make it more interesting with different textures like a rusty drive shaft as a vase and I love a wire cage or storage box.
I am not claiming to be an expert in merchandising but I am a seasoned shopper so I try to think of how I like to shop myself. Sometimes I create items to sell that will compliment my space such as a light fixture or table runner (they help protect freshly refinished surfaces too).
The corners need height so I made a tall ladder to tilt there and it provides more display space for me, too. I think it helps customers imagine using items in their own home when the space is set up with variety and not divided into sections (sections are for grocery stores).
My tip for merchandising though is to layer items and stagger heights then ones eye can’t just skim past everything. Angles and balance are appealing to the eye. One vendor helped me out with giving me her shopping friendly tip and that is everything should be shop-able so creating a path for visitors to get close to everything you offer is important. Don’t you like to touch things when you shop?
I have only had a space for 4 months at this point but I am learning fast what works and what doesn’t.
I never want to sound like a “know-it-all” because I am certainly not but I like to share things I learn here and there on my blog….I don’t usually share the mishaps.(and there are plenty!)
I know you are sick of me complaining about the weather but for goodness sakes - our garbage and mailbox are frozen shut! Plus, no school etc. (I’ll try not to complain when the humidity hits this summer,) At least we have cable and internet this week.
Check out Mazi’s snow day hair…
Have sun shiny day!
