Deb's 'Retail Display Challenge' Article in OneCoast Advisor

Another of my recent articles is appearing in the OneCoast Advisor Newsletter and web archives today. The 'Display Challenge' article that I wrote for Country Business Magazine has been split into a three-part series, and will run in concurrent issues of the advisor. The first segment mailed today, and you can access it here.  You'll find great information and inspiration for your store displays in these three articles, as I review three stylist's designs using the same product lines. All three of them offer excellent merchandising & sales techniques that you can learn from.


Thank you, OneCoast and Country Business Magazine, for sharing this information with more retail readers! For more information about OneCoast, and to sign up to receive this free newsletter filled with helpful retailer resources, visit their web site at www.onecoast.com.


Image Credit OneCoast; used with permission.

myOWs (no, I don't need a bandage!)

(Image property of & copyright myOWs.com; used here only for promotion of myOWs)


Today I received a hot tip in an email from my friend Randy (thanks, Ran!) about a new web tool on the horizon. 'myOWs' is a web service for helping creatives to protect the copyright on their original works.

'myOWs' is an acronym for 'my Original Works', and the site was set to launch in August of this year. Developing a new concept often takes longer than expected, and the service rollout is still  on the drawing board. However, it's set to be the next big thing for creative artists of many mediums, and I'm on board to support it wholeheartedly!

I've added the site link to my right sidebar, along with other tools to help you with copyright and online content theft issues. I'll pass along news about the launch as soon as I hear something.

Check out this Interview with Max Guedy, founder of this incredible concept, on Frisk Design's site to learn more about myOWs and how it can help YOU protect your creative property.... and thanks, Max, for sending me this COOOOL 3-D image of your logo! (He said I could be the first one to share it!!!)

Craig Ferguson read this post and sent a comment in, along with a link to his interview with Max. Thanks,  Craig! The more we all spread the word, the more we people we can help Max help!

Deb's Article in One Coast Advisor (link added)

One Coast is the largest U.S. sales rep agency for merchandise in the retail gift industry. Their website is not only a wholesale sales venue for those products, but also a resource filled with information that helps retailers succeed and a hub that connects people, ideas, and products. It's no wonder that they are known as much for their educational videos, podcasts, and articles as they are for the products they sell - and with many categories of subject matter, the information is helpful to retailers no matter what kind of products you carry.

One Coast contacted me about running one of my blog posts as an article in their biweekly e-newsletter, 'OneCoast Advisor'. It's nice to be asked, for one thing, and it's also nice to be recognized as a resource that can benefit retailers and help them..... yep, you got it: ...'Build Better Businesses'! I'm thankful for the kind acknowledgment of my value ("You have great insights that our retailers would like to read") and am looking forward to this opportunity for exposure to the One Coast reader base. (Thanks, Vicki!)


The most recent newsletter has been broadcast, and my article in it has been added to the OneCoast Advisor Archives. Read it online here.


For more about One Coast, their product lines, their large resource library, and to sign up to receive the 'OneCoast Advisor' newsletter (so you don't miss my article!), go here: http://www.onecoast.com

Image property of One Coast; used with permission.
No renumeration or payment received from One Coast for post reprint or promotional post.

Q and A: Store Lighting for Impact

I received the following email last week, asking for my assistance with a retail visual impact issue: how to counteract the darkness of dreary winter weather and early evenings during this season. I thought that since I had just completed a consultation with a new client to solve exactly the same problems, sharing some info about this issue might be helpful to many of you. So, here we go:

Dear Debi, I own a small card, stationery, gift shop in North Seattle (Richmond Beach). I need help with lighting; on a sunny, summer morning my shop looks so inviting but when it starts getting dreary out, especially in the early evenings the shop looks dreary as well. I'm also having trouble with fading. Some is caused by the sun coming through the windows but I think the lights are also a problem. My space has the (ugly) ceiling tiles with inset flourescent lights and I have added track lights. Any suggestions or ideas on where to go for help would be great. Thank you, Susan

Hello Susan, I read your email with interest and a smile.... just last week, I completed a consultation with a new client for exactly the same solutions! The darkness and this 'Northwest Gray' sky have more effects than many people realize! Let me offer you a few general solutions to try:

1. Take a look at the color of the walls in your shop. If they are white or a cool color (blue, green, etc) then they are working against the effect you want to have. Using warm, glowing colors such as ambers, golds, caramels, light browns, earthy oranges, etc. will serve to expand the light within your spaces. Even if you just paint the wall across from the windows one of these colors, you'll see a big difference in the way it feels.

2. Check your track lights and any other light fixtures you have in the store. Are all of the bulbs working? Are the track modules aimed in the most efficient direction? It's common for most light in a store or restaurant to be aimed downward onto tables, counters, displays. This is necessary - but you also have to bounce light around so it hits vertical surfaces and is visible from the street outside. This means aiming a few track modules onto those warmly painted walls so that they glow even more.

Introduce floor & table lamps into your space - several set into your displays throughout the store will serve to cast warm ambient light and draw the eye to them. Best to place these sparingly, and also use incandescent bulbs in them. (I know, it's not the most energy efficient way to do it, but CFL bulbs have a cold light.) You need warmth to draw people in, and using pools of light throughout the space is the best way to do it.

Those overhead flourescent fixtures you have are the bane of all retailers: you need light, but that blue light just flattens out all of the detail in your products. Counteract it with as much natural light as you can - yes, even our Northwest gray gloom is better than flourescent light! Place mirrors on walls & fixtures across from the windows, to bounce the light around the space.

Appropriate for the holidays (and actually any time of year in retail) try adding some twinkling white lights on tall tree branches or a tall garden trellis inside the store. Place them in the back half of your store, across from the windows, and make sure they are on well before dusk. This bit of light and movement will work to attract attention - and it needn't be in the window to work.

3. Although it is true that 'Windows are the eyes to your store', you can't expect them to do all the work! Window displays often get overloaded in an attempt to make them stop traffic. When building window displays, have the goal of providing a large visual statement that clearly represents your store - your brand image, your product offerings, and something interesting or whimsical like a seasonal theme.

Don't try to load every inch of the space with product, though. Use no more of 1/2 of your window space for this - build one large display in the window's center, or two smaller displays on either side - leaving some space open so that customers who walk or drive by can see PAST the displays into your store. This is where the lighting discussed above becomes paramount in importance: The space beyond the windows needs to be well lit to be seen, and to work to pull people in your doors.

This should help a bit with your fading problems, and changing out your window displays each month will also help prevent product damage. Your product is primarily two-dimensional and small, so you need to think a bit out of the box in order to make it work in large window displays: Try making blown-up, inexpensive color copies of interesting seasonal cards, (to an 8X11 size) and hang them from large tree branches or ribbons in the window. The movement factor there is good for attracting attention. Or, find a roll of wallpaper that coordinates with a new stationery line, and use it as a backdrop for a desk whose drawers are pulled out and loaded up with items from the line - and use a color copy of the item to front the box of cards, papers, etc. again to help keep fading to a minimum. A small lamp on the desktop will serve to attract attention, too.

These are general tips that I hope will provide a starting point for improving the visual impact of your store during the darker winter season. You can see in the photo at the top of this post that Cindy Sullivan, owner of Haley's Cottage in Mill Creek, Washington, has utilized all of these tips to help make her store interior sparkle year-round. She has the advantage of having doors & windows at both ends of her space, as well, but large mirrors placed on a back wall can duplicate this effect easily.

For more specific advice and solutions, I am happy to provide my consultation services in person in your store or via email & digital photos. Email me at Debi.WardKennedy (at) Gmail (dot) com for more info on my services and rates.

Photo credit: Taken by DWK of Haley's Cottage 2009; used with permission.

'Creating Successful Displays' Resource Available

Last June, I spoke at the Funky Junk Sisters' first Antique Show, presenting a seminar to the vendors selling their wares there. Following a very harried day of setup for everyone, I shared some tips & tricks of visual merchandising and show booth design. Since most of their booths were already set up at that point, much of that information was intended to help them at their NEXT show. I provided them with handouts filled with everything I spoke about, and more, so they could refer to it later. I talk so fast and include so much information in my seminars that I could never expect anyone to take notes that copiously!

Well, the Funky Junk Sisters are having their second show on October 23 & 24. (Info here) and they were going to send out those handouts along with the vendor info packets. I'd rather provide that myself. I'm sure you can understand that with all of the recent content theft issues here, I am committed to controlling my own content distribution! So, I have converted the handout into a Google document. It's available here for you to view, print, and use in the practice of your own business.

To be clear, this is my original copyrighted material.
I am sharing this information here FREE for your 'personal use only'. I ask that you please do not print and distribute more copies of it, nor sell it, nor use it as content on your own blog or web site or in your book, seminar or store, or in any way profit from it.

I could limit access and sell this info, as many people do on their blogs, but I'd rather just get it out there to the new show vendors and my faithful readers so it will benefit you all. So let's all play nice, shall we? (I think that about covers all the bases.... and I think everyone who reads my blog knows what will happen if that request is ignored. SMILE.) If you want to spread the word about it, feel free to link to this post. No problem with that!

Help Is On the Way!

Take a look over there on the top of my right sidebar... you'll see a new link list titled 'Dealing With Online Content Theft: Tips, Links, Resources, and Words of Wisdom'. I've added the resources I've discovered while on this strange and enlightening journey lately, in hopes that if YOU have the certain displeasure of being a victim of online content theft, you will have somewhere to go to assist you as you start taking action. If you know of other resources, please leave a comment here and I will gladly add them.

I appreciate all of the links, information, and assistance that my dear readers and friends have offered over this past month. It's been hell. I've experienced every emotion possible, compounded with looking like a huge idiot on my very own blog. But, again, I'm human. I fired first and asked questions later - and I've learned from it. Hopefully, so have you.

Please educate yourselves by reading through all of the materials offered - yes, including all of the links contained on the Google search page! - so that you are prepared to defend your intellectual and creative property. Because it WILL happen to you at some point. Yes, it will.

Seriously, if you still don't see how this is problematic for anyone with their business presence online - whether it's a Facebook page or a blog or a web site or an ad - let me put it to you this way:

Sitting back and letting online content theft happen without taking action is just like sitting behind your cash register and letting people walk into your store, pick up things they like, walk out without paying for them, and then put them up for sale in their stores.

We all have to act. We all have to stand up and protect what is our property. Just because it exists in text and images, instead of 3-D merchandise, does not mean it is not valuable and considered 'inventory' or 'assets'. It costs us money that we can't recoup.

The words 'Inform. Educate. Empower.' are in my mission statement for a reason!

Blogging With Integrity

Now THIS is a cause I can certainly get behind! And frankly, should 'he-who-shall-not-be-named-because-it-gives-him-a-higher-Google-ranking' steal THIS post, I'll be THRILLED to see it appear on any of his twelve blogs!

Sasha at BloggedyBlogBlog brought this movement to my attention in her recent post. An organization has been formed, and people are banding together to pledge that they will display integrity, fairness, honesty, and good conduct in their blogging practices. Well, I never.... what a FABulous idea, no?!

Go here to read about the organization, their mission, and sign the pledge.

Then get yourself one of these hot buttons to place on your blog, and let the blog thieves out there know that they are up against a mounting army of legal beagles who are paying attention!

As a part of this pledge, I'll remind readers that I do not offer ad space on my blog. My recommendations for books, videos, web sites, and blogs are made because I am familiar with the products & people providing them, and believe they are valuable resources for your business. (I do not get paid anything at all for doing this. I only get a small commission (1 to 3% of product cost)from Amazon and Artella if you click through and purchase any of the books I have linked here.) I do not offer product or service reviews for a fee or for compensation of any kind (products, bonuses, trips, gifts, or otherwise). If I discover something and am wowed by it, I share it. Without any strings attached.

I get dozens of inquiries for link exchanges and ads each week, and I turn down 100% of the ads and over 95% of the links because my goal is to offer you only the best retail & visual-related material & resources. Just today, a local merchant whom I was speaking to on the phone made me an offer for my blog readers - and it is one that I may take her up on during the upcoming holiday season. If and when I do, the connection between us and the terms of the 'deal' will be clearly posted here.

I will continue to endeavor to provide links and credit for any content I use that is not my original work. I may miss something one day, like when I credited one source for the wine shop display photos but missed another. (This can get VERY convoluted with all the linking & sharing going on, and I spend a lot of time searching for the originator and asking permission/notifying of linked posts.) My GOAL is to have proper credit & access to all of the materials, content, and resources included in this blog. If I do miss something, please email me or leave a comment with verifiable info and I'll add it ASAP.

And because of the convolutedness of this whole issue, I will endeavor to produce my OWN content, including subject matter, text, and images, on much larger scale than I have recently. Even WITH permission from the originator, I need to work harder to offer originality here - not a regurgitaion of content discovered elsewhere. I think my links to other online resources will suffice in helping you locate what's already out there.

Likewise, if you see something of mine on another web site or blog, please shoot me an email and let me know where it is.... it helps to have other pairs of eyes looking for that! I may have granted permission for its use already, but then again...... ;0)

(BTW, I'll have a post up soon with all of the resources I've discovered in regard to combating blog content theft....)

Image Credits: www.BlogWithIntegrity.com

No Dessert for YOU, Mister...

If you are reading this post anywhere other than a site/page that is licensed/owned/maintained by Debi Ward Kennedy, you are viewing stolen content that is being used without permission.

To my devoted and very supportive readers, I offer my thanks to you. To new readers/visitors, please peruse the plethora of resources that are in my archived posts, sidebars, and links to find helpful information for your retail businesses. You may contact me via my email link posted in the left sidebar. For the past three years, it has been my privilege to offer you helpful and inspiring resources & information that will help you build better businesses...I just never realized that all of my hard work to that end was also helping criminals build THEIR businesses.

Readers, I am going to let this blog go idle for now.
It will languish awhile, as I will be adding no new posts or information so that I may starve Mr. Jeschke out - I figure that if I don't feed the little pest, he will stop setting up new sites to steal my content from this one. I am still pursuing him with legal action, but in the meantime I am cutting off his feeding frenzy on my knowledge, experience, skill, and effort.

he knows what he did is wrong and illegal. He took his site down for several days and then put it back up with the archives disabled. However, he is still uploading my blog posts to his site.

If you would like to be of help in this horrendous situation, please note the contact information found online for Mr. Jeschke:

www.hrantiques.com
IP 70.32.68.86
created 19 sept 07
expires 19 Sept 10
Hosted by MediaTemple.net

Registered Owner:
hr GMT Inc.
601 Cleveland Street Suite 950
Clearwater, Florida 33755

727.443.4800
727.443.2200 fax

ALSO: 'Viva Vita Inc'
www.jeschke.com
Hans Peter Jeschke
1684 Pine Place
Clearwater, Florida 33755

727.641.7186
727.446.8482
727.446.7979 fax

Administrative and Technical Contact:
Hans Peter Jeschke
hp@hrgmt.com

I'd love to see a slew of people send him emails, faxes, and snail mails demanding that he cease and desist from ALL forms of internet content theft on ALL of his web sites. I, and many others whose content is being stolen by this criminal, thank you if you stand up to this bully.

image credit: Facebook 'Flair' button, hosted at data.rockyou.com, uploaded to Facebook for public use.

All content in this post is original to Debi Ward Kennedy/DWK/DebiWardKennedy.com and DecoDivaDebi.blogspot, unless otherwise credited. As such is protected by Copyright. Reproduction or rebroadcast of any content in whole or part without express written permission is prohibited. Content copyright 2009 DWK; All Rights Reserved.

If you are reading this post anywhere other than a site/page that is licensed/owned/maintained by Debi Ward Kennedy, you are viewing stolen content that is being used without permission.

The Face of A Thief?

Do you know this man? This picture appears on his Facebook listing - but I'd bet it's not really him! He's probably stolen the photo just as he has everything else he puts up online. (Funny that he didn't find a more handsome guy to impersonate....) He is cowering behind his computer screen and stealing property that belongs to other people to make a profit. I did a Google Search on Mr. Hans Peter Jeschke, and found out some interesting info... one thing is that he owns many, many web domains and spam sites. Another is that he's selling a link building service. Check it out: http://jeschke.com/link-building-service.html

So not only is he getting paid for Google ads on his site, generated by stolen content, but he's being paid from $9.90 to $14.90 per link by hapless and greedy idiots who think he'll drive traffic to their sites with his links. So THEY can make money from Google ads. I love how he says he has 'collected' his web site and blog links himself. That makes it sound SO much nicer and friendlier than 'I have a long list of blogs and web sites whose content I am stealing and whose links I am selling you without their knowledge or permission', doesn't it?

This guy is a piece of work, as an old friend of mine used to say.

Thank you, Andreas, for the heads-up on this. I'll send off another DMCA notice.

All content in this post is original to Debi Ward Kennedy/DWK/DebiWardKennedy.com and DecoDivaDebi.blogspot. As such is protected by Copyright. Reproduction or rebroadcast of any content in whole or part without express written permission is prohibited. Content copyright 2009 DWK; All Rights Reserved

HE'S BACK AT IT AGAIN

Hans Peter Jeschke put his site back up, (apparently he took it down before, not his web host) and it now includes all of my posts which appear below talking about this very situation. How ridiculously STUPID is that? Interestingly enough, I can only access one page. I can't access older posts or sidebar archives. But it's still loading my newest posts. And others'.

To quote Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman': "Big Mistake. HUGE."

This is not over. Not by a long shot.

All content in this post is original to Debi Ward Kennedy/DWK/DebiWardKennedy.com and DecoDivaDebi.blogspot. As such is protected by Copyright. Reproduction or rebroadcast of any content in whole or part without express written permission is prohibited. Content copyright 2009 DWK; All Rights Reserved