One thing I noticed on my trip to 5 eclectic shops the other day, was the extent to which

fixturing matters.

The two very-funky shops had, on purpose, mismatched fixturing. This gave a nice cluttery feel to their shops, and since all the fixtures, from clothes trees to tables, were for-sale merchandise, it made sense.

But the three upscale shops, the ones commanding the best prices,had carefully-selected, coordinating fixtures which complemented their image. And they profited from it by increasing the Perceived Value of their eclectic goods. Example: same driftwood garland…$28 and selling at Elegant-Shop-just-opened was $17 at funky shop 2 miles away.

All too often, and as a result of consignment, resale, thrift shopkeepers’ innate thriftiness, these shops end up topsy-turvy…because they grew like Topsy over the years. A bargain rack here, great deal on a display case there, dumpster-picked costumer here and donated t-stands there.

At some point, though, the inbred cheap-as-we-can-do itness has to change to

a more together, more upscale, more (dare I say?) boutique-y look, to reflect your shop’s growing retail sophistication.

Take a look around your shop and see it with new eyes. Is it time to redo? Could be. After all, you want your Shop to Sizzle…and you for sure want to Use all Your Space, right? See all the Products for the Professional Resaler here.

More on Perceived Value and What “grow like Topsy” means