Back To School Windows

The calendar (and the weather!) may still be saying 'summer', 

but fall is on the way....

bringing hordes of 'back to school' shoppers out of the pool and into stores.

It's time to catch their eye with some FUN window displays!

At the resale store where I created visuals with a dynamo named Debby, 

we created two distinct stories in the two front windows:

One geared toward kids, and the other toward teens.

continue reading to see the details and learn why they work...

First up: 'It's Elementary!'

 A large black metal desk + file cabinet and a black wood cubby unit are the 'fixtures' here, 

evoking a teacher's desk in a classroom.

A giant piece of artwork in black and white is a stand-in for a chalkboard.
A cheerleader's megaphone adds a scholastic touch.

Two child-sized mannequins are dressed in 'uniform'-style clothing,
and have wigs made from yellow yarn.

'Teacher' is dressed in a snappy jumper & blouse, 

and props on her desk include dictionaries, thesauruses, and a jar of red apples.

Some old flash cards were strung together with yarn, and hang down from above -
adding movement and color to the display.

final props that were added after I shot the photos above:
Glass vases, filled with brand new wood pencils, present flowers for teacher.

 (Is there anything better than the smell of NEW pencils and OLD books? I don't think so :) )
Display here is about inspiring our customers with IDEAS as well as PRODUCTS.

In the second window, we encourage the older students to 'Study Hard'.

Two dark wood entertainment center pieces with movable cube shelves

and a tall wood file cabinet are our fixtures,

with a similar dark wood chair tucking into the scene.

 A collection of blue World Book Encyclopedias fills in cubbies and shelves, 

and a few are opened up so that hats, belts, etc. can sit on top of them.

 Ties in fun colors and funky patterns are draped through the display

and tumble out of shoppable file drawers at the front edge of the area.

The shirts, vests, sweaters and pants on the mannequins and wood hangers

are a combination of bright primary hues and wildly striped patterns -
to catch the eye of shoppers in front of the store.

here's one of my top quick DISPLAY TIPs:
the mannequin torso forms you see here 
include one 'MAN'nequin and one female form.
Can you tell the difference? Nope.
That's 'cause I turned the female form around BACKWARDS and dressed it!
No one knows what's under the clothes, so just 'make it work'

Both windows featured the same color scheme - bright primaries - 

with a dark background to make them stand out. 

This makes the front of the store look organized, cohesive, and attractive...

which isn't always easy to do at a thrift/resale store.

BTW, this store sells clothing, furniture, art, books, and home decor -
all of which are shown in the window displays
 to help potential customers see 'what's in store' for them...