ReDesign Redux

In another post, I shared this photo 

as part of Phase Three of the Retail ReDesign Project at Poppyseeds. 

Not two days after that room was restyled, 

two people fell in love with the table and chairs - within five minutes of each other! 

After being in the store for a year, it sold. LOVE that! 

That's what effective displays can do!

Of course, the sale of large pieces of merchandise is wrought with its own challenges - 

getting it OUT of there, and then the gaping space that is left.  

When the shop owners asked me 'So now what do we put there?', 

I was able to expand on one reason why using the 'Zone' concept works:  repetition.

I told them to get another white or red table and chairs set and put them there. 

Why? 

The room is set up as a retro kitchen, with cabinets, a vintage stove, 

a china hutch, and another vintage kitchen dinette set. 

It makes sense to stick with the theme and the color scheme 

that we have chosen to focus on for the summer tourist season in this room.

Following this guideline, 

they know that tables and chairs painted in red, white, or aqua will fit in here - 

when one set sells, bring the next one in. 

Each one will be unique, because the furnishings they sell are vintage and recycled items, 

so the look stays coordinated while the product is always fresh. 

Even a patio table and chairs in white metal would be appropriate. 

It's a way of simplifying choices, focusing their marketing message for the season, 

and saving the store staff time and effort.

The girls already had a few items in stock, awaiting a paint job, 

so they created a new white table and some red and blue chairs, and brought them into the room.

Now, it looks like this:

Small products and more detail were added after this photo was taken...

Can you see how this continues the same story with a new twist?
They can just keep doing this in this room - and all of the others, 

according to the color scheme and design theme - all summer long. 

Then, for fall, we'll come up with some new themes and restyle the rooms again.

You can do this in your stores, as well, by using the Zone concept for developing themes and displays. 

Need help? Give me a shout!

If you are in the Seattle area and like what you see here, check out Poppyseeds in Stanwood. 

Just 60 miles North of Seattle and 24 miles North of Everett, 

the shop is a great place to visit on a sunny weekend!
(Camano Island is a nearby five-minute drive over a bridge, too)

Inspiration

Thank you to my friend Randy Smith for sharing this video with me.... we all need to be looking at possibilities instead of limitations right now!

Retail ReDesign, Phase Four, Part 1!

We tackled the Fourth Phase of our retail redesign at Poppyseeds this morning. This is the largest room in the Cottage, so it is developing in stages. After doing an inventory of the furnishings & accessories in stock, and a few that are being added, we determined that they fell into three main categories that had not yet been represented in the shop: French style, Old World/Tuscan theme, and a hip, funky London vibe. Part 1 encompases the North end of the room, where we placed the French style furnishings & accessories.

The photo above is a view from the hallway - so what you see as you enter this room (in the center of the West wall) is this vignette. We dressed the wall with some old doors (the one with a window has a poster of a Cafe' hung behind it to replicate a 'view') and placed the large black wood mantel in front of those. This serves several purposes: first, it covers the purple wall. (It will be painted soon, but for today we just wanted to make it disappear!) Second, the mantel becomes an area we can add product to and dress in various ways. Third, this vignette serves as a 'bridge' mechanism between the French style area to the left and the hip mod London area that developed to the right. (You'll see that in another post). The black, ivory, and wood tones in this vignette combine the two themes and make for a nice visual transition from one theme to the next in this open space.
Above, you'll see a shot of the area before today's reset. Behind the table was a beautiful dressing table - that you can't see. What you CAN see is that purple wall. Not very French! The changes make for a much more elegant merchandise presentation.

When you walked into the room and turned left before, here is what you saw...
We took three large ivory armoires from the other side of the room (where they were blocking light from the windows) and placed them in the rear corner. This makes good use of the space, and because the pieces are ivory, they keep the corner from feeling dark & heavy. One unit has an open center, and a mirror placed in it with lights also helps to brighten this area. That dark thing on the left of the photo above? It is a positively gorgeous carved armoire - that no one ever saw the front of. By moving it across the room and into the corner, it is a focal point, and the mirrored door reflects light from the window on the South side of the room. Some black & white accessories, small tables, hanging crystal candle holders, and some wire mannequins create contrast, interest, and provide accessible areas to merchandise fashion accessories.
Continuing around the room to the right, this was what the East corner looked like before:Lots of furnishings & accessories took away the impact that any one of them might have had. So, we moved them out and simplified the space - by moving in one spectacular item. That dressing table (that was formerly hiding behind the round table) now shows herself off like a diva. Big plus? Once she was moved next to the beautiful armoire, they became a SET. Though not a perfect match, they compliment each other. This should result in a sale of BOTH items to a customer looking for fine antiques for a bedroom, instead of just one. By pairing items in similar themes and styles, we make shopping easier for the customer and increase per-transaction totals.
You can also see that the small, open-legged black accent table and wire mannequin use the center space effectively, but do not block the clear visual line to the armoire.

As your eye continues to travel to the right, you come upon the vignette with the round table and mantel, shown at the beginning of this post. Stacking chairs and small tables on top of other tables provides multiple levels for display of small items, and also uses vertical space. This allows us to fit in much more product than if it were all on one level. Remember that even if you sell home furnishings & accessories, you can get more theatrical than an average homeowner would. It's fine to have chairs with a table - but put one chair UP on the table for a new level and that 'something unexpected' that will catch a customer's eye. NO, they won't do this in their home, but if your store just looks like the average person's home, sorry, but it's boring!
In the photo below, you'll see that to the right side of the mantel, there is a sweet little white dressing table. This piece is very delicate and needed a spot that would let it shine. Placed in between the black mantel and some black tables (you'll see them in the next post), it appears in sharp contrast. In the warm sunlight coming in the window, it's mirrors sparkle - and that makes it eyecatching. We turned it toward the South windows, so that it 'faced' the far corner and didn't block more sunlight. This keeps an open, spacious feeling in the room that helps customers feel uncrowded and comfortable.
You can see the little dressing table in it's former placement in the photo below: in the corner, dwarfed by the large armoire and big expanse of wall above it. Just putting it in a place of honor in the room view - as soon as you enter - makes a huge difference. We did this with all of the most exquisite pieces and made them the focal points of several vignettes.
A bit of fluffing and placement of small accessories brought the French style to life. New products are on their way, so we left space for it to be added when it arrives. It's always important to plan for future use of each setup, and make it easy to change out accessories so that the look is always fresh for customers.

Next up, Part 2: The Hip London Look. It's pretty much in place, with only one furniture item yet to be added. The Old World/Tuscany theme is in place, however there are some furniture changes to be made as we tackle another room - several pieces from that room will come in here, to the South corner. It's a bit like playing Dominoes... move one thing, and it affects everything else! We are doing a bit at a time to keep it manageable.

Upcoming Events

Well, it's impossible to read at this size (and Blogger isn't letting me enlarge it), but this is a page-shot of the upcoming 'Country Pleasures' Magazine. Linda & Dixie, the 'Funky Junk Sisters', sent it to me today to let me know that their upcoming show has garnered a mention in the mag. The article also referenced me and the seminar I am presenting at their show in June.

On Friday evening, during setup, I'll be sharing some fabulous info with the show vendors. My goal is to inspire them to amp up their merchandise presentation in their booths at shows - this one, and others to come. My hour-long seminar will include lots of insider tips, stylist tricks, and retail secrets to arm them with helpful information that they can use immediately to make a big visual impact FAST. And after that, there's the Q&A session.... which has been known to last over an hour as I answer questions and solve dilemmas for audience members. (They kicked me out of the seminar room in Denver one year....two hours after my presentation was over, I still had fifty people sitting there asking me questions about their stores & displays!) Hey, I didn't mind staying....but the cleaning crew needed to reset the room!

Many years of working & speaking and creating award-winning designs for vendors at international gift shows and industry trade shows have given me an incredible wealth of information that can help 'the little guys' compete in a big marketplace. My 'job' is helping independent merchants succeed in building better businesses by teaching them how to coordinate their visual presentation - and I really love what I do. To say I am looking forward to this is an understatement, and I am so thankful that Linda & Dixie have extended the invitation and the opportunity for me to speak at their event. My thanks to you for the additional press, as well, ladies.

For information on the show, check out www.funkyjunksisters.com My seminar is for show vendors only, however we are working on creating a video of it so that the content will be available here on my blog soon after the show. If you are attending the show, there will be other speakers presenting seminars for attendees on Saturday, so don't miss them!

'Epic Fail'

My blog is having issues. Publishing issues. Frustrating issues. I'm trying to figure out what the deal is, where the actual problem lies - with my interenet explorer or with blogger - and I need your feedback!

Can you leave me a comment or send me an email at debi.wardkennedy@gmail.com and tell me if YOU can see the background on my blog page? The image is a black & white graphic print of furniture, so if what you see is all white, you can't see it. It's not showing up for me.

Another issue is that as soon as I click into my blog, internet explorer tells me it can't open the web page and shuts it down. And not just on this blog - it's affecting all 3 of them. If you have any tips for me on how to deal with this, send 'em in!

sigh. And I thought I had made friends with my computer.....


***Thank you so much for the feedback!
It appears to be a Blogger issue. They've received thousands of complaints from users and are supposedly trying to identify the source and fix it. In a related story, apparently millions of users in China can't access Blogger, either. hmmmmmmnnnnnn.... I guess we'll just hang in here and wait for the fix. ***

Hmmmmmn, nope. No fix in sight. SO, I've switched to Mozilla Firefox as my browser. WOW! What an improvement! I highly recommend it.....

Retail Intervention? For WHOM?

I'm betting you've seen the new TJ Maxx / Marshalls TV ads with the 'Retail Interventions'. Yes?No? You can see one here. It's funny, I'll give you that. (Funnier yet when I realized that the name of the friend in one of the two ads who gets the intervention is 'Tracy' - my friend Tracey is a shoppoholic extraordinaire AND contributes to the TJ Maxx/Home Goods blog as a shopping expert.) But like mom always said, "It's only funny until someone gets hurt!"

The ad agency for TJ's expounds on the psychology behind the ad campaign here. And while I certainly understand a business wanting to a) convert customers from other retailers to their own, and b) assure them that they are smart and getting excellent value by shopping with said business, I have a serious issue with this campaign.

That issue is the attack on small boutiques, which are presented in the ad as price-gouging sharks intent on selling you anything and everything they can with no scruples whatsoever. It's not just a 'shop here, we're better' ad. No, it's more than that. It's taking pock shots at the competition based on a twisted perspective.

Sweeping generalizations often do that - sweep generally - and this ad is a prime example. Who cares if your small business is a fourth-generation family-owned shop on Main Street that has contributed to the tax base that keeps the small burg alive? Or an independent merchant that stocks & sells locally produced products, keeping other small businesses IN business by giving them an outlet to sell (and grow into larger businesses that will employ people in the community and pay taxes)? Doesn't matter - in this ad, consumers are told that you are cheating them because you overprice your merchandise. All boutiques do, didn't you know that? Silly girl. Come to TJ Maxx and save your dollars, but look like a million.

Doesn't matter that TJ Maxx is building stores outside of your own community, stealing consumer and tax dollars that keep your town's economy alive and pay for police, emergent care, etc. And it doesn't matter that when this campaign really does affect people's shopping decisions and they stop heading to main street to drive an hour to the supermall instead, those small town shops will inevitably close. They'll sell their merchandise for pennies to auction houses, who disperse them to other retailers....like TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Oh yeah, these are real bargains, folks. Maybe this is TJ's way of ensuring their chain of supply won't dry up, I don't know. But it's wrong.

I have to wonder this: Those ad execs who dreamed this campaign up? The TJ Maxx bigwigs who approved it? Where do THEY shop? Do their entire wardrobes and homes consist of items purchased only at their stores? Not on your life. They've got designer stashes from trendy boutiques - the very ones they slam in the commercial. Mmm Hmmmmm. This is a 'do as I say, not as I do' line of bologna, my friends. Psychobabble hogwash masquerading as wanting to help you.

I'll admit, I've shopped at TJ's and Marshalls and Ross stores. But as an advocate for independent merchants, a consultant to many small 'main street' businesses, and a business owner myself, I am ending that practice right now. I can't continue to support this company with my dollars when they are on a rampage against the people I see working so incredibly hard to not just survive but thrive in this economy. For me, it's not just about your dollar or 'value'. It's about your VALUES. I'm supporting the 3/50 Project through my hometown merchants, thank you very much. That's MY retail intervention!

Retail ReDesign, Phase Three

Today we undertook Phase Three at Poppyseeds: another interior room inside the cottage. The two owners and I quickly discussed the ideas I had for a new theme, and then we started emptying the room of everything small. Above, you can see the view immediately inside the doorway BEFORE. Great products and terrific props & fixtures, which are placed a bit too close to the doorway, but there is not focal point from this very important spot. And that warm poppy red wall is just screaming for attention...
AFTER, the view straight into the room is now one that draws us into the space. Stairstepped pieces along the left wall offer levels for products. The tall cabinet acts as a visual bridge, connecting the vignette between the wall display and in front of the window. Placing a large red shelf over the window continues the color from the left wall into the room.
Another view (from across the room) of the same area, BEFORE.
...and AFTER. We keep the 'windows' open and uncluttered, so that customers can view this area from the front room on the other side.
The display area in front of the window, BEFORE. Lots of furniture, color, and detail. The mirror in the window is blocking a lot of light, and also preventing those outside from seeing in. This window is the focal point from the very popular restaurant across the street, so maximizing visual impact in this window display is very important. It needs to 'read well' from both inside AND outside.
The same area, AFTER. Sunlight pours in the window, lighting up the room and making everything sparkle. White furniture and red & aqua accessories and props express the vintage beach cottage theme we were going for. We kept all of the smaller products on the hutch, and placed only larger ones on the table - to keep the look clean and orderly. The same display, AFTER, viewed from the opposite side.
To the right side of the window, BEFORE, there is a windowed wall that separates this room from another. In this shot, you can't even tell it's glass because it is blocked on both sides. That green dressing table is the only piece of furniture that was removed from the room... everything else stayed.
AFTER, the glass is not only visible, but it allows even more light to come from the back room's windows. The red dressser pulls the wall color to this side of the room, as do the umbrella props. The table and four chairs and a chest (seen beneath the table) are the new pieces of furniture brought into the room.... there are now MORE pieces in this room than when we began, but by using space wisely (and vertically), the room is more spacious and easier to shop.

BEFORE, when you entered the room and looked right, this was the view. Visually, there is no focal point. This crate was removed from the room, and will be painted to appear in another room later.

AFTER, the view to the right is open, airy, bright, and shows off the products. The vintage stove moved into the corner and now provides many levels for merchandising. The wall cabinet now appears as a part of the whole vignette, instead of floating on its own.

View from the windowed side of the room shows the mirror that previously blocked the window. It now reflects light & views, making the room seem wider. Chairs stacked on table & stove top maximize vertical space and again offer levels for other products. Red paper lantern props add red color above. Another AFTER shot:Vintage-look linens, aprons, and dinnerware in white, red, aqua, and yellow fit right in with the theme, and are placed in an area with plenty of room for customers to browse. There is a red coffee table tucked beneath the stove - it's another piece that was added to this room.

In all, there are three tables, nine chairs, one desk, one hutch, one stove, one trunk, one dresser, and various stools, two lamps, one chandelier, and dozens of small accessories in this 9 X 9 space. It feels and appears bigger, brighter, and less cluttered than when we began. ANd two customers who walked in during the rearranging commented 'Oh! Look at all the NEW STUFF!' It's not. There's not one single thing in this room that wasn't already in the store (except the umbrella & paper lantern props). It's just combined in a fresh new way... and customers were inspired. Design can do that!

Time invested, start to finish: 3 1/2 hours. Money spent: Zero. Final Effect: Priceless!

Another Inspiring Retail ReDesign Project

I received a very nice comment on the Poppyseeds Retail ReDesign from Tamara. She also sent me the link to her blog, and asked me to take a gander at her own business visual makeover.

HOLY TOLEDO!!!!! You have to see what she and her team did with their old barns to make them ready for a whole new business! You will be inspired, believe me... the photo above is just a glimpse of the excellent detail you can expect to see. Go to the greenhouse diaries for the story and photos. Thank you, Tamara, for sharing your story!


photo credit: Greenhouse Diaries/Milner Nurseries

Storage, Design, and Coming Out of the Closet...

It's amazing how something small can trigger a memory...
I was perusing one of my fave design blogs, Coco+Kelley, and came upon this post. It's really about closet design for small spaces (unlike Ms. Mariah Carey Cannon up there... her shoe closet alone is bigger than some of my client's STORES, for heaven's sake), but something in the story and this photo below made me laugh:

The comment in that post is about putting your nicer clothing on display in your home, as a way to add storage when all you have is a small closet. ...along the lines of "Think of it as treating your home like a boutique!" This unleashed a flood of memories for me. You see, way back in my junior high days, just as I was beginning my foray into retail display work at my mom's gift shop, I set up my bedroom like a retail store.... yep, folks, I'm coming out of the closet (pun intended) about this lifelong retail design obsession.

I was inspired by one of my favorite mall stores, 'Casual Corner'. (OK, now, be kind...I was in junior high and the mall was important!) I took many of the ideas I had seen in that store and recreated them: groupings of my jewelry on stacks of books and in shoes on a huge 6X6 cubed shelf unit, folded sweaters in rainbow stacks in my closet, and perfectly styled outfits hung on a pegrack on the wall. On one wall , I had a giant bulletin board that was covered with magazine pages of fashion and decor that I loved.

I was so proud of my room! No one else 'got it', of course, but it was my way to express my new-found appreciation of retail display. I had a lot of fun constantly rearranging the bed and shelves and dresser - and every accessory on them - to create new looks.

By the time I reached high school, my room was an explosion of school colors and all of the paraphernalia that comes with being a teenager and involved in school activities. (Actually, it looked a lot like the School Student Store.... sorry, I digress...) But for two creative years, it was literally a laboratory where I could test, explore, and play with visual ideas that I had seen in magazines & stores. Which, of course, was a precursor to my studio & home today.

Some things never change..... ;0)

Photo Credits: all from Coco+Kelley blog

WOOF!

So, whaddya' think about this? Learn a new thing everyday, I say. Including HTML blog coding. Sure, space design includes online presence. It's all about the brand!

This new format let me put all of my promotional 'It's All About Deb' material on the left, and all of my recommended resources on the right. I found the code this morning, tested it, and then entered it tonight. Bing! Done. Wanna' know where? Go see the WIZARD at threecolumnblogger. He's genius! Then join me in getting this shirt from jumperlumps 'Cause it's never too late to learn.

Retail Redesign: Phase Two, or 'You Had Me At Hello'

The Poppyseeds redesign includes an update of the logo, and a complete brand image plan.This photo shows the original logo, which has been used for the past year. It's big, it's bright, and it has done a great job of getting the shop name out there. But just as inside, it was time to 'step it up' and give the logo and the shop exterior a fresh look....

The exterior views & approach to your store offer a first impression to your customer. Make sure to maximize that space (you pay for it!) and leverage your brand for all it's worth. Use your logo, your name, your brand color palette, and imagery or products that Tell Your Story.

BEFORE, the chimney on the cottage exterior.

AFTER.

The new logo is larger in scale, crisper, more modern, and the lettering leads the eye right over to the front door - instead of up into the sky. (You can see a sign in the BEFORE shot. The new version is shown a few photos down....)

BEFORE, in front of the porch.

AFTER, in front of the porch.

Various furnishings and accessories were arranged outside, to entice shoppers in. The items had seen their best days, however, and were not a representation of the wonderful merchandise offered inside! So they went to the burn pile. In addition, many large wooden 'spools' were placed around the parking lot. They actually drew attention away from the shop. We pulled them all in, created a grouping of them, and painted them in colors of the brand palette. Some were tipped sideways and painted as 'Poppies', to extend the logo image further.


Now, these 'spools' form platforms that can hold several beautiful items brought out from the shop each day - a chair, a small table, etc. This 'staging' area now calls attention to products for sale AND leads the eye up to the front door... where the poppy logo is painted on the glass, for a branded entranceway.

BEFORE, the sidewalk approach to the door.

AFTER, the approach.

More furniture on display - it came out of the shop each morning, and went back in each evening. Lots of work!! We cleared out the area - those spools out in front now provide usable display space. Along the walk, we placed small spools, one a 'Poppy'. On the wall below the window, we hung one of four signs (vintage, antiques, home decor, and gifts) that were repainted with the new logo style.

BEFORE, the side of the cottage.

AFTER.

On the side, which is actually what you see when you come into the parking lot, there were a few spools. We pulled in new smaller ones, painted in the logo palette, and added another sign.

Around the back, where the driveway is located, (sorry, lost my before shot...) we hauled off some more old furniture, brought the big white bench from the front, and I painted an old vinyl umbrella with the 'signature' black & white stripes. (It was a freebie I found after a show, and saved it because I knew I would eventually find a use for it. The inner lining is a floral pattern - and the color of the largest bloom matches the Poppyseeds logo orange EXACTLY! It was meant to be). The umbrella went into a large wood spool, which is now a table surrounded by chairs. We touched up the paint on the door, hung two signs, added a 'Poppy' round, and it now looks like this:

To refresh your memory: BEFORE, Poppyseeds looked like this:

Now, THIS is Poppyseeds:

Crisp, clean, fun, whimsical, and stylish. All of the attributes of their brand and the products they sell. And if you visit their Poppyseeds blog, you'll see exactly the same logo image, black & white stripes and clean, crisp look. Their print ads, biz cards, bag stuffers, etc. will all contain these elements, as well. Consistent branding across the board, in every visual medium they use. We planned the space use and the colors and the fixtures and the props for the exterior just as we are doing in each interior room. Money spent? About $40 for a can each of orange and black paint. (Plus dinner out - thank you, MaryBeth & Julie!)


The results of some planning and a few hours of work (1 day painting signs and 1 day doing everything else on-site) are going to impact this business immediately: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday there is a HUGE artist's studio tour just down the highway. THOUSANDS of people will be driving past Poppyseeds over the next three days... and with this kind of visual appeal, MANY of them will stop in. Many of those may not have before the redesign. I hope there aren't too many accidents on Hwy 532 this weekend, as people get a look at the changes. ;0)

And remember: YES, you CAN do this! I can help you.

Retail Redesign: Phase One, Part Two...

More of the Retail Redesign at Poppyseeds...

When you walked into the shop BEFORE, this was the main view.
In the foreground is a large central display, featuring a beautiful carved & inlaid wood dresser, bed, and desk. While very unique and in excellent condition, these pieces just overwhelmed the space so much that the details were never noticed. Their large size, dark color, and bulkiness made it difficult to focus on anything else or move within the space. In addition....

...behind that display, in the background, was a nearly bare wall. There is no color or interest to pull your eye to the back of the space, and that lack of 'draw' makes the space feel smaller. Almost unseen in this photo is the glass case that you saw in my last post - the one filled with jewelry. In it's old location, it disappeared behind the huge center display.

Now when you enter the shop, this is the display you see! It is stylish, offers merchandise in an easily viewable format, and provides inspiring decor ideas, as well.

The open base and curved legs of the Duncan Phyfe table are light in color, scale, and bulk, and also allow for chairs to be tucked in. With one chair and an accent table up on top, there are MORE pieces of furniture in this display than there were in the original one! It's all about scale. We made sure to keep the height toward the rear of that display - the black chair on top of the table - and then stairstepped it down as it comes forward, using the pink accent table and then the white pedestal to provide levels for more merchandise. This 'receding levels' approach leads the eye and also prevents that blocked feeling in the center of the room.

The hanging lamp used to be in the left front corner...moving it here fills the entire room with warm, bright light, making more merchandise look fabulous. The light also serves to pull attention into this display. Adding lamps or chandeliers into your vignettes is the best way to bring a scene to life.

While there is much to hold your attention here, the open chair back and coffee table structure make it possible for your eye to travel all the way through this display - your view to the far wall of the shop is not blocked. We tucked a large antique cabinet into that corner, to create a solid presence and a big visual draw. It balances the room, adding weight opposite the door.

In the photo below, you can see the cabinet in its former location - right next to a doorway. In that location, it felt huge, bulky, and because this is an old house with uneven floors, it seemed to tilt precariously toward the door.

By moving the cabinet away from the doorway, we opened up the passage for customers... making it easier for them to enter & exit the room, and stop to browse along the way.

Now, a fabulous antique dressing table occupies the space formerly taken up by that cabinet. Its small frame, soft color, and curvy lines are eye candy, and we've drawn even more attention to it by swathing the wall behind it with hot pink silk fabric. The wall color is soft yellow, and that didn't provide enough contrast to the ivory paint on the furniture piece. None of the lovely details showed up. So we stapled the fabric to the wall, pleating it like drapery as we went, and it became a perfect 'frame' for the dressing table & mirror.

In display, simple solutions are the best - the fabric can be easily removed for a new look. And since it was something I had on hand, it was free. The dressing table is the perfect display piece for more sparkling jewelry - not only is it appropriate in function, it is a perfect height to allow for browsing and has a mirror that customers can view themselves in.

For more great Retail Redesign tips that YOU can use, stay tuned... I have so much more to show you!

Retail Redesign Project: Poppyseeds

I've been busy for the past few days - and a few more to come - with a Retail Redesign Project . Local Independent Merchant 'Poppyseeds' is a gift, home decor & furnishings shop with great vintage style. Located in a small cottage in Stanwood, Washington (60 miles North of Seattle and just a few miles from Chihuly's famed Pilchuck Glass School), the business just reached it's one year milestone..and that is no easy accomplishment in this bizarre economy.

The owners, Marybeth and Julie, are cousins and two real spitfires! These gals are determined to make their business successful. I applaud their determination, passion, and vision, and want to help them acheive their goals as we undertake a redesign of their brand image and their shop's visual style. On Saturday, we spent eight hours moving furniture and merchandise, to give the front room of the cottage a whole new look...here are a few photos to whet your appetite for more to come!

Immediately in front of the entrance and to the left, this fireplace was an awkward fixture to deal with. A lot of small things ended up here, and the visual effect wasn't what they wanted it to be. We cleared it out and started over....

Lots of two-dimensional art, mirrors, frames, etc. fit in this narrow space, fill it in, and make a huge visual impact. The black-white-ivory-pink color scheme was chosen to match the newly-painted furniture that arrived that day for the room's central display area. (By coordinating the color scheme throughout the room, the space seems larger and less cluttered.)

I just love how the Holly GoLightly poster in pink & black not only coordinates with the color scheme, but adds an insouciant touch of whimsy to the display....it's as if Holly is looking up at the fabulous merchandise, saying 'Oh, this would be simply SPLENDID in my apartment!'

On the right side of the fireplace, this corner has great light and a window seat. It had become another area that the girls were uncertain about merchandising, and that big chalkboard blocked a lot of light.

Using the windowseat as a pedestal helps to lift smaller items up into view. The sculptural lines of a table and chair are shown perfectly here, without blocking light. Just a few smaller items add detail without overwhelming the small vignette.

Here's what was next to that corner, and the main focal wall as you walk into the shop. The cashwrap was located here.

The cashwrap is still there, but now it is anchored by a large visual brand statement. The large chalkboard has been hung on the wall, and it offers a happy 'Welcome to Poppyseeds' message to all who enter. (Nice tip: providing your shop name on the wall by your cashwrap helps your customers when it comes time to write out their checks. You won't be asked 'And the name of your shop is....what again???') Above it, a black & white striped fabric 'awning' echoes the ones used on the outside of the cottage, which helps to develop the brand image.

The glass case on the left here used to be on the right side of the cashwrap. By relocating it here, we let the natural light from the windows shine through the glass and illuminate all of the jewelry that we have placed in it. It beckons like candy! In just two days, sales of jewelry have jumped remarkably - because it looks fabulous, it's easy to locate, and there is plenty of room to browse. The card spinner used to be located in a doorway and, you guessed it, no one bought cards because it was so hard to browse them! Here, by the cashwrap, it's easy to peek at them. Ditto for the small black wire rack on the counter - it holds lip balm, hand cream, and assorted wallets, pocketbooks, and change purses for quick Point of Purchase sales. Simple solutions all - but effective.

Just to reiterate, we didn't spend any money on this - everything used or added was something already on hand, either in the store or at one of our homes. Pulling together the black, white, ivory, and pink theme was accomplished by pulling items from the other rooms in the shop into this one - we just combined it for a whole new effect! It took eight hours to clear it out and put it all back, finesse it, and then enjoy the fruits of our labor.

It's a small shop with small rooms and a lot of stuff, but we three gals did it while the shop was still open - we just apologized for the mess and told visitors about the big changes going on. Not one of them minded, and most of them were enthralled with the idea of freshening the place up. They all vowed to return to see the big reveal! Don't use the excuse that you don't have time, money, or energy to make your store better. YOU CAN DO THIS!

I'll be sharing more photos of this room with you in the coming days, as well as shots of the exterior...stay tuned! Oh, and sweet shopgirl/owner Marybeth has written her own account of the progress so far on her blog, poppyseeds.