A Window Display is 'Painting a Picture'

Retail Visual Merchandising is an art....
and I've always described what I do as a visual stylist this way:
"I create still life paintings using dimensional objects
 instead of paint or pastels."
This window display brought that together with actual fine art...

Continue reading to find Artful Display ideas!

what's in YOUR windows for the summer season???

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summer is here (unofficially) and if you haven't done it yet,
it's time to refresh shop windows AND online photos for the season.
gather up the red, white, and blue products & props in your storage room
and let's get you in motion to create effective displays!

my best VM tip:
Selecting a general theme and a seasonal color palette is what works for us in this resale store.
The choice of a patriotic palette for summertime is easy, and draws customers like flies.
It can work for you, too, no matter what you sell - 
because a window 'set' that can simply be filled up with new products on arrival
saves everyone time & effort.

continue reading for classic summer display ideas,
created for an upscale thrift/resale store in Southern California...

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...

Artful Spring Window Display

Retail Window Display is an art form....
and I've always described what I do as a visual stylist in this way:
"I create still life paintings using dimensional objects instead of paint or pastels."
This particular display brought together that art with actual fine art...

...Continue reading to find Artful Display ideas!

Artful Studio/Office Design Project

I'm getting a GREAT response to my new offering of 'Artful Makeover' services!

 

As I tell each of the clients that I work with:

You really don’t have to spend money to create an efficient, inspiring office or studio - 

start with what you have!

When designing an office space, think about the function needed for your specific work processes. 

Move around as if you were working, and decide what storage & work surfaces are necessary - and where.  

Remember that the ‘work triangle’ concept of kitchen design applies to offices & studios, too!

* Starting with the largest furnishings, assign each a place and use - considering light sources, access, and traffic flow. 

* 'Shop your house' and garage for pieces that can be used in fresh new ways to add style - think outside the box!
* Get creative with the colors, furnishings and details you select to express YOUR style and brand with every choice. 

You can have an inspiring work space that works almost as hard as you do ;)

_________________________________________
 Want more Top Tips for your home office/studio space?  
FitSmallBusiness.com asked me to contribute to a new blog post about office setup,
and it's FILLED with pro tips to consider when setting up your home office -
great advice from small business owners and design professionals!

Whether you work in a home office, art studio, craft room, or classroom,
my new 'Artful Makeover' services will help you to work happily, efficiently, and creatively.

I design beautiful, efficient, inspiring spaces where your creativity will thrive!
Read about my Artful Makeover Services

Keep reading to see how I approach the design process...

Valentine's Day Color Story

Here's a simple way to get a 'Valentine's Day' vibe in a retail store display

without actually having any holiday-specific product IN it...
build a color story, 

then punctuate it with a few cheap heart props!

Click 'Read More' for the step-by-step tips on building a color story...

New Year, New Look!

May the New Year bring you sparkling new creative ideas and success!

Here's a quick bit of inspiration for a January-into-February display:
This wood china cabinet has been given a shot of color by using

one roll of pink and gold gift wrap
( available right now at Marshalls for $2.99! )

On one side of the case, the gift wrap was placed inside a large frame, 

which was then placed behind the glass shelves.

A few books with pink covers are stacked up to use as risers

that perfectly display sparkling crystal glassware with gold rims and some pink depression glass.

On the other side, a long strip of the gift wrap was simply taped to the back,

and flows down onto the bottom shelf.
White china with gold trim is stacked on the shelves

with a gold-framed tiny mirror and magazine with a pink cover adding contrast.

Debby and I created this display at Laura's House Resale Store in San Juan Capistrano, CA

and it took us a grand total of half an hour - 

which includes cleaning the newly-donated china and glassware!

Creating a fresh look and a new display doesn't have to take a lot of prep...

just let your creative muse outta' the box, grab what's on hand, and see it in a new way.
That helps your customers to do the same thing! ;)
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Did you notice that things look a lil' different around here?!
Click 'read more' on the left to continue...

By The Book

'working with what you've got' is a big theme in the way I create visuals...

it's not only cost-effective to make use of materials you have on hand already,

but it also forces you to be creative instead of just throwing money at something.

The amazing woman who handles 'the book areas' at the Laura's House resale stores

asked me and my decorating compatriot Debby to come up with a decorative treatment

for a blank wall area at one of the stores.

Well, it's not hard to think of what might be plentiful, on hand, 

not to mention completely appropriate in that area, is it?!

BOOKS!

NOW BEFORE YOU SCREAM AT ME.....

I am a book lover. I love them so much that I won't throw them away,

even if they are water-damaged, torn, coverless, mildewed, or otherwise ruined.

I just can't do it. That paper is too valuable! 

So when books are damaged beyond the point of re-selling them, 

I USE the pages in other ways.... like this:

Several pieces of posterboard form the base of this wall art,

because I didn't want to apply the paper right to the drywall.

The posterboard was covered with pages torn from damaged books  - 

yellowed pages with type, and pages with beautiful black and white illustrations -

and then nailed to the wall with tiny headed nails.

Then some other books - 

ones with seriously damaged covers, which makes them un-sellable in these stores -

were meticulously folded into origami-like artful sculptures by Miss Debby.
She's an ACE at this!
Those book sculptures were nailed to the wall, right through the pages and the posterboard.

This keeps them on the wall - even though people have rudely attempted to remove them.

It all perfectly highlights the sign indicating that this is 'The Book Nook'.

Keep going to see MORE ideas using paper!

Create Eyecatching Jewelry Displays with Paper!

I volunteer some of my time at a charity re-sale boutique,

where they graciously allow me to create displays in their store -

which helps them sell more of the donated product to raise money

for the many programs and services that they offer to families in need.
(find out more about Laura's House here)

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 The thing about re-sale, second-hand, thrift and consignment shops is

that EVERYTHING is basically one of a kind.

You can't mass out a display with the same item, or fill shelves with it.
And when it comes to jewelry... well, for items that are already challenging to display,

the fact that it's all 'onesies' and 'orphans' means I have to get REALLY creative.

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There are two things I've done to the jewelry display area in the store

that will work in any retail situation...

Find out what they are after the jump!

Holiday-Specific Displays: Yes or No?

The day before Independence Day, I hit a local thrift store

where the display shown in my photo above was right inside the entrance.

OK, yes, I critiqued it in my head - and honestly,
they passed with flying colors!

This is Goodwill, not Nordstroms,
and so the simplicity is very successful
AND easily changed when customers want to purchase items from the display.

Remember that Goodwill does not stock lines of product - 

everything is basically 'one of a kind' in there - 

so things sell out of displays regularly.

Here's my question for my readers:

Does it PAY to create holiday-specific displays in your store?
Do you reap the benefits of the time invested?

Does it spur sales of products with limited shelf lives
at full price and before a certain date?

Do you see NOTICEABLE sales increases of seasonal merchandise if you feature it in a themed display?

Me? I LOVE themed and holiday-specific displays.

I believe that one display in a store, and in a window,

gathering up all of the related product
and presenting it in a united theme,
can really help customers SEE what you offer,
be INSPIRED to take it home and re-create the look
for their own homes & celebrations.

 

It's easier than having products scattered all over your store,

forcing customers to wander and search everywhere

to see what you offer...

If your customers come in for patriotic napkins, and they find them in the napkin section,

they will grab them, check out, and go home perfectly happy with their napkins.

Yet if those napkins are presented in a small display

along with plates, candles, candle holders, and table runners, 

the customer would most likely purchase MORE items for their party...

meaning your per-transaction total just went up.
(Remember that old sales adage that says 

'It's easier to sell MORE to an existing customer than to GET a new customer?' It's true.)

Not to mention that they go home ECSTATIC that they found more wonderful things!

So give your existing customers the opportunity to buy MORE from you than what they came in for.
Give 'em napkins - and everything ELSE they need for a spectacular party table setting!

This subject has been on my mind for the past week,

because I have seen many PERFECT opportunities 

to present Patriotic, Red-White-and-Blue merchandise in three specific stores that I work in.

I have heard guests (customers) ASK for those products -
because they couldn't see them.
Yet there was no solution of a centralized location for the merchandise, 

no display to draw the guests (customers) attention to them with theme or color,

and no apparent concern that those products with a limited shelf life
existed in the stores and needed to be sold THIS SEASON.

By 'limited shelf life' I mean that there is a short preferred
'window of opportunity' to sell them effectively - 

not that they are perishables.
Fourth of July products sell best the two weeks immediately before the holiday. At full price, that is!

It confounds me that a company that I believe has
the best merchandising in the world

missed the boat on this one. And it's a BIG BOAT!
(like, white triple-deck paddle wheeler riverboat big,
if you get my drift!)

I asked about the lack of such displays in those stores,
and was told "No, we don't really do that here."

Well...... maybe they SHOULD.
It's the busiest time of the year, people are looking for and wanting this product,

and other parts of the locale are promoting the Patriotic color palette, and do themed displays.

People want to join in that celebration...

so why are these retail locations making it so hard for them to do so?

Ultimately, it's negatively impacting the store's bottom line AND the guest (customer) enjoyment.
I'm going to try to get to the bottom of the reasons behind that decision...
because I KNOW that I can implement new displays
 in every store I work in within minutes -
and make them a lot of money.

Vintage display by Seabold Vintage Market . Bainbridge Island, WA.

It's entirely possible to pull together an effective display 

just by quickly uniting items from all over the store by color and theme -

I could accomplish it in less than 30 minutes per store.

 You don't have to invest tons of money, effort, or time

or big props and backdrops and fixtures to get results.

Just take the opportunity to give your customer
what they want in an easy,
"don't have to think about it, just grab it and buy it" way.

Goodwill Industries delighted me
with their very simple and effective Patriotic entry display.

The specific stores I am thinking of need to do the same.
What about yours?

Clever Display Prop: Vintage Sink

Today on my seasonal home decorating blog HOMEWARDfoundDecor.com,

I shared one of my fave tips for creating a versatile decor item.

Since it also works like a charm as a display fixture in a store or show booth, 

I thought you might like to see it as well.

Yeah, it's a vintage sink. But it has a SECRET...

Now THAT is 'Fast, Cheap & EASY'TM!

For more ideas using vintage sinks as display props,
and the fun story of how I came up with this prop idea, visit the post here.

THIS is Goodwill?!

Take a look at that branding package, my friends...

because you've NEVER seen Goodwill looking like this!

Goodwill Industries is expanding their marketing to go direct to the fashion-conscious, trendy DIY crowd
by opening 'Goodwill Boutique' stores in strip mall locations across California.

These upscale boutiques and specialty stores feature name-brand designer fashions, jewelry, wedding gowns, antiques and other amazing finds. (from the GWI website)

See what I saw today at the Grand Opening, after the jump...