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Archive for February, 2016

What this place needs is a pop of color….

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , on February 28, 2016|

If you watch any sort of home show or read fashion or decorating blogs or follow designers on Facebook, you might hear the phrase “pop of color” over and over.

What’s the “pop”?

It’s the unexpected,

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4 Display Window Basics

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , on February 22, 2016|

Do your window displays grab pedestrians as they walk by? Here’s one that would…

let’s examine how it illustrates some basic display window ideas that are quick, inexpensive, and simple to do.

Simple but polished consignment or resale shop disolay window, examined by Kate Holmes of TGtbT.com

TGtbT.com, Too Good to be Threw, uses a fab photo (alas, cannot find the originator of the photo which I found a while back on Pinterest) to illustrate some display concepts for consignment & resale shops:

A: Try a  one-note display window. Handbags… JUST handbags.Or you could do side tables or shoes or flower girl dresses. You don’t have to tell the whole story of your shop… just intrigue passers-by enough to get them to come in and see your shop.

B: Kraft-paper-wrapped boxes as risers.Varying heights are a must in any display, especially one like this with more height than width. A variety of sturdy boxes, here wrapped in blend-into-the-landscape Kraft paper, are an essential display prop. (Tip: Use boxes open on the underside… that way, you can nestle for storage.)

C: Triangles: Always use odd numbers of things. In a display, use threes, arranged in an acute triangle. Here, the pile of risers and their displays are in a triangle whose apex points to the upper display of the three dress forms…. whose apex points DOWN to the lower half of the display.

D: Color distribution. Squint: see how the darks are distributed, as are the “neutral” prints.Putting too many darks close together gives a “hole” in the display… and too many lights would steal the spotlight from the entire picture. Distributing lights and darks leads the onlooker’s eye all through the display… to find the One Perfect Purchase for her!

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Clever way to sell more… show them what they can DO with it!

Posted in Really good ideas, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , on February 19, 2016|

If you want to sell more, give your fans more ways to use what you’re selling.

Reimagine a piece of merchandise in your shop.

Turn a drab dresser into something with WOW factor, or reuse one of those dangerous cribs for a youth desk. Make a wedding dress into a christening gown. Whatev. Point is, to show your social media audience that they too can be creative when they find something interesting in your shop.

Document your transformation with how-to photos and post as a series on your blog, web site, social media.

Don’t have any way to do that? Turn your series of photos (3-5 is the ideal number, with captions of course) into a broadcast e-mail with the subject line: “MyShop is Playing Around… Come Join Us!”

 

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Leap Day: An Extra Day for Fun & Promotions in your Shop!

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , on February 16, 2016| 1 Comment »

Leap year gives us a February 29 just once every four years.

Leap Day used to mean proposals!Used to be, that was the day women could ask men to marry them. That charming (?) custom has fallen by the wayside, but still, Leap Day is an opportunity to do something fun in your shop that will help you Stand Out from the Crowd.

Subject lines and ads and graphic ideas you

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Another reason you need a web site.

Posted in Really good ideas, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , , on February 2, 2016|

There’s a zillion reasons any consignment, resale or thrift shop needs an active, attractive web site.

Invite potential customers into your consignment shop via email.Shops that rely solely on (more…)

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