"Action!"

So, last June, I went here

and did this

and now if you'd like to see the end result, you can!

My first video, filmed at the Farm Chicks Show in Spokane last June, features me interviewing the Farm Chicks themselves and sharing their great merchandising ideas.  When it debuted on the Gift & Home Channel online, this was the description that accompanied it:

Suffering from display dissatisfaction? Well, beloved GHC blogger and known speaker, Debi Ward Kennedy, aka 'the Decorating and Display Diva', is here to give you some fantastic ideas for creating unique and noticeable displays in your store. In this one of 6 segment series on displays, Debi talks with the founders of the Farm Chicks Antique Show about sourcing great product as well as inexpensive and unique ways to display product so it gets noticed. If you’re looking for new ideas for your store, look no further, because Debi’s bringing out of the box thinking right to you!

2010: visit my web site at www.DebiWardKennedy.com and scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find embedded players for all six of my videos. They are now hosted by another online service provider, not GHC. I am no longer involved with or promoting GHC in any way.

And a huge thank you goes out to the two ladies who join me in this first installment - Serena Thompson & Teri Edwards, 'the Farm Chicks' themselves. Amazing women, amazing businesswomen, and calm as cucumbers on camera. It was so much fun working with them (for a whopping twenty minutes...!) Girls, I owe you big time for this!

A Nudge

I've been nudged. Elbowed. Poked.

In a past post here, I spoke about the music you play in your stores. I suggested subscribing to digital music via cable, broadband, or a service like Sirius radio. I also mentioned creating a playlist via http://www.playlist.com/ and broadcasting it via your computer, or using CD's.

Well, I've been called on the carpet about that.

Someone who seems to be in the music industry, or a lawyer, or has been on the wrong end of this issue, has anonymously commented on another of my blogs about the illegalities of such things as playlists and using cd's in a store. (No comments on Sirius or cable radio). I do appreciate the information and did a bit of research (just a bit - I'm running a business here). I thought I'd pass what I learned in a short 15 minutes along to you, dear readers:

*Don't use CD's in your store. Unless, of course, you are SELLING those same CD's in your store. It's considered advertising at that point and you CAN do that. (As in, the music kiosks that play samples of songs contained on the CD's sold there.)

*And even tho I didn't mention this: Don't play commercial radio in your store because A) That is an illegal re-broadcast of music that is not paid for, and B) You'll get ads for your competitors playing in your store. Don't laugh, I just experienced this at a fast food chain....In Taco Time, listening to an ad for Taco Bell. Ouch.

*Check on the legality of an online playlist before you use it in your store. http://www.playlist.com/ says they are permitted to broadcast on your web site or blog, my 'anonymous' commenter says differently. I can't research it all, so you'll have to do that yourselves before using it.

PLEASE NOTE that I am not a lawyer saying that this or that activity is legal, nor am I advocating or rebuking any music service here on my blog. I am just passing along info, thoughts, and ideas - you are the business owner, so you get to research them and decide what is best for you. It is not my intention to present information that is in any way controversial or misleading.

If you have concerns about anything I have posted here (or on another blog) please contact me at Debi@theDecoDiva.com instead of commenting anonymously on a blog post. I would appreciate that courtesy. Thank you. (And dear Anonymous - leaving NASTY comments in response to mine is just plain rude, especially when you won't sign your name. As I said in my response to you, that blog is not the appropriate place to start a discussion about this issue. This one is, which is why I've moved the subject here. But you knew that, because your comments referenced my post here. I invite your comments on the issue - signed with your name, of course.)

Another consideration for you in regard to music in our stores: I suggest that our independent businesses support the arts and give our local talent some airtime by getting creative.

*Get a recording of the high school Jazz band, choir, or musical ensembles to play in your store. If your daughter or friend is a brilliant pianist, record her work and use that.

WITH THEIR PERMISSION, make a few extra copies and sell your 'Signature Music' CD to keep these artists performing. Pay the artist or donate the proceeds to your school arts programs to keep this in the right spirit.

*Do you have local musical talent who need advertising for parties, events, and such?

Get their Sample CD and play it, and have their contact information present & visible for anyone interested in booking them. (Obviously you will choose music that fits your store image...) Free advertising for them, great royalty-free music for your store. A win-win. Oh, and have them play an event at your store, too - holiday open house, perhaps?

In any case, be aware that just because someone (like me) offers an idea, it may not be OK to do that. I do apologize for any misunderstanding or misleading comments on this subject. Sometimes you just can't win...

Play Us a Song, Piano Man...

I know you think this blog is all about visual merchandising, display, and product presentation. And for the most part, it is. But along with that, I hope to share ideas and resources that will enable you to enhance your store environment. There are so many factors that play into a successful shopping experience for your customer - for instance, sound. What sounds do your customers hear when they are in your store?

Don't think it's important? Let me tell you this: Along with the sense of smell, the sense of hearing is one that garners an instant reaction. Now, I am a bargain shopper of the black belt variety, and I'll dive in any dumpster to get at a fabulous trash-to-treasure prop. But regardless of the bargains, I will not shop at KMart - simply because their constant announcements on the intercom make me crazy. Every five seconds, someone just has to grab the microphone and announce a new Blue Light Special, or needs a manager on register one, or a price check on aisle seven. The voice is always shrill, the volume is always too loud, and the acoustics in the store just make the sound waves bounce endlessly off of the walls. I get a migraine just walking in there!

Announcements are a necessary thing - but not a necessary evil. Train people in regard to how to speak on a microphone, how to modulate their vocal tones, inflections, and timbre. Advise them as to a volume level, and set a limit on how many announcements are used in an hour. If you need to invest in radios to reach managers on a huge sales floor, DO! Don't engage in a constant stream of babble over the intercom system.

OK now that I've got that off my chest, let's move on to music. I love having music in stores - it 'softens the edges', so to speak. If done right , that is.

One of my clients has a large shop, with a built-in sound system that plays 145 channels of cable music. When I am in the shop, creating displays after hours or early in the morning, I generally choose channel six: Big Band Swing music. Harry James. Etta Fitzgerald. Glenn Miller. Gets me moving and creates a happy, energetic mood. Every last employee who walks in the doors hears that music and a huge grin spreads across their face. Some even spin around or take a slide-step across the floor. The mood is contagious! Many days, the doors open for business and that music is left on...and the reaction by customers is much like the one the employees have. Moods are lifted, people sway as they shop, people hang around longer and talk more. And BUY more.

On other days, the shop manager has walked in and switched the music to his favorite: 70's rock. Foreigner. The Who. Stones. Van Halen, even. Do I need to tell you how this music affects customers? Don't get me wrong, I love Van Halen - but I don't want to shop to their sound. (And hearing Mick Jagger sing 'I can't get no satisfaction' is just contradictory to having a good shopping experience!!!) Older customers leave quickly because the loud volume of this harsh music is offensive to them. Men seem to like it, of course, but men come to drink the wine, not browse the merchandise. Women tend to rush to get out of there,sales drop exponentially. And yet the music plays on. Even the women on staff see what's happening, but there is no set guideline for how to use music as a sales tool. It's a missed opportunity.

Give some thought to what kind of music you are playing in your shop, especially as the holiday shopping season begins. By thinking of it as a sales tool, you can actually create the mood within your store - simply by using sound. A great rule of thumb is to change the music selection throughout the day. For example: begin with soft jazz when you open, perhaps. Then step it up a notch to some of that Big Band Swing before lunchtime and in the early afternoon. Later, cue up some oldies to energize the mid-afternoon doldrums. And end the day with smooth jazz again, giving your customers a relaxing atmosphere in which to run errands or just while away a few moments. This also keeps your employees from being lulled to sleep by hearing the same music all day!

And please don't use radio - the advertisements and DJ chatter are as annoying as announcements. Sign up for cable music, or invest in CD's. You can build a 'music library' from which to choose, keeping the selections in tune (pun intended!) with your customer demographic and your store's brand image. Educate your staff in how to use music to set a mood in the store that encourages browsing, lingering, shopping. Change it up from season to season.

Remember, the longer a customer stays in your store, the more she'll buy...and that's music to any retailer's ears!

PS: It extends to your online presence, as well... notice my 'theme songs' playing as you read?! Check out www.playlist.com to create your own music player for your blog or website.

The End of the Road...

What's at the end of the road, you ask?

A stop sign.

After working with Western Exhibitors to provide design services and seminars at the Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland Gift Shows for five years, and providing the same for new owner GLM for 2008, it appears my term of duty is over. GLM just called to let me know that the sweeping changes they are making to the shows for winter 2009 and beyond do not include me speaking or designing the exhibitor showcase displays. And my friend, seminar presenter Sue Kirby got the same schpiel: New speakers, new programs, new format for product promotion. It will be interesting for us to attend the show in January and see what those changes are like - and what the response to them is. I wish them well, because I want the exhibitors and buyers to succeed. Sue and I pitched a killer new concept to GLM a year ago.... yet nothing has been said, no discussions or communication have come back from them, so I am guessing that wasn't the kind of sweeping change they were looking for. (It's OK, she and I can still develop this concept on our own...we do 'own' it, after all!)

If you are an exhibitor whose products I have displayed, if you are a seminar attendee whom I have spoken with or met, please know that I have enjoyed being of service to you in those venues. It has been my honor to meet so many worthy and dedicated small business owners over the six years that I have been involved with the West coast gift shows. It's been an educational experience for me, to be sure.

Meanwhile, I am on to new things. Other clients, other projects, other Gift Shows. I love it when a door slams in my face, I really do. It means another one is about to swing wide open!

Yes, I Do Windows....

...and so when a design competition decides to make one of the challenges about window display design, well, I'm all over it. And of course, I can't be expected to watch it and then not comment, right? Here we go:

Apparently, some Top Designers think like some cleaning services, and DON'T do windows.

Case in point: Window above designed by Nathan & Shazia to not only showcase Andrae's dress but to make his bizarre political statement, too. Even their description of what they tried to accomplish was confusing - as Kelly Wearstler said, "It needs CliffsNotes..." becasue Andrae thought up a high-falutin' diatribe on the state of our union. And I get that Nathan was 'not inspired' by the garment - but hey, buck up, dude. Do you really think that every item that goes into a display personally moves the designer? NOT! Get over it and back to work for your client!
Poor Big Daddy. Kerry got stuck with Wisit (don't get me started), who obviously didn't grasp anything about Jeffrey's concept. Wisit refused to give up his Roccoco ideas (in a very passive/aggressive way) and Kerry was a nice guy and tried to work with it. And you know what they say about nice guys, right? They get sent home. (PS: an interesting observation: This mannequin looks just like Kenley, from Project Runway. I know, I watch too much tv...)

The judges really dissed this one by Eddie & Teresa for Santino's gothic creation, and I can't figure out why. I personally think that a bit of adjustment is needed in the positioning of the furnishings (their silhouettes need to be featured in front of the red walls, not hidden by black mirrors), and maybe the wall color did need to be even more grungy - rub in some black paint heavily around the edges, paint some cracks on there. Go more for the look from the film 'V for Vendetta', which is exactly what I thought of when I first saw Santino's cape & mask. (Yes, I know, I watch too much tv...) But all in all, it's a dramatic and effective window.

Preston & Andrea created this somber scene for Daniel's ethereal dress. And therein lies the problem. I agree with Jonathan Adler - the color combination is perfect. But it's sad. A sad somber sorry window that has a spring dress in a dismal winter setting. no, No, and NO. Sorry, judges, you got this one wrong. But then, Daniel pretty much painted a picture...ooops, sorry, I mean wrote an epic poem...that gave the designers nowhere to go except where he told them to.

Then there's this one. Sweet Pea (LOVE her!) brought a FABulous gown and said 'So, whaddya' wanna' do?' If that isn't the perfect client, I don't know what is! Ondine & Natalie worked together with Sweet Pea to set a scene, tell a story, transport the viewers to another time, place, and plane. The dress is the star, with color, props, scale, lighting, and movement acting as supporting cast members. (Yes, I realize I'm back to the movie metaphor, and I watch entirely too much tv....)Perfect Perfect Perfect! I'm in total agreement that it's the clear winner.

BTW, I think people highly underestimate Natalie...but watch out, world, this gal is brilliant. Being young is not a crime, and experience is not always better than creativity. My money's on her to win it all!

OK, now the big question (No, not that one): What would YOU do?
Pick a window, and redesign it. Tell us what you'd do, and why you'd pick that particular window or designer.
Photo Credits: All, bravotv.com/Top_Design

Autumn Alternatives

After my post on Deb Dusenberry's Curious Sofa displays for Halloween, I got a few emails about how the fall season seems to bring out a two-party system. And I'm not talking politics! What I'm referring to is the Halloween-ers (oh that sounds bad...) and those who don't celebrate that holiday. It's an issue that affects retailers, too.

I was chatting with my friend Kimberly, the owner of a local shop, last week, and she was frustrated about the 'invasion of the ghoulish' in store windows all over town. The windows and shops all seem to be overwhelmingly filled with bright orange, purple & green with black, and an abundance of goblins ghosts and ghouls comes right along with that. She hates it. "I don't DO Halloween", she said, and though that may seem like retail suicide to some, I understood what she meant.

Yes, it's true that Halloween has grown in popularity - sales of Halloween decor nearly equal those for Christmas. Some take the scary path - dark, creepy, gothic. and that's just fine. Some go the cute route, with scarecrows and pumpkins with smiling faces and kid-style decor. Hey, if it works for you and your customers, great! And some stick with the Harvest theme, for many reasons. Whatever you do, make it an expression of your store's style and brand. And make sure you are 'speaking your customers' language'. If they come to you for a particular type of merchandise all year, that should help you figure out their style so that you can use the info to guide you in your seasonal choices.

My friend owns a beautiful boutique, filled with antiques & vintage items, and new products that are either made from vintage elements or resemble them. It's soft, feminine, warm, cozy, and appeals to those who love Shabby Chic and Vintage French style. Bright orange does not work in a store like this. Not to mention that her customers don't do the bright color thing, either - so she needs to offer them items and ideas for their homes based on the style they already love. Just try finding manufactured Halloween items in pale colors...not so easy. So what's a girl to do?

Focus on Fall, Autumn, nature, and harvest. She already has a wonderful selection of items in soft ivories & tans, golds and crystal. By adding some pale colored gourds, pumpkins, apples, and candles to it, she's on the right track. A few bare branches, bundles of wheat, and some excelsior bring touches of nature into her displays as part of the pale scheme. Bleached out oak leaves are a soft touch and very unusual. The effect of being in the shop is of a soft, enveloping cashmere sweater wrapping around you - now who doesn't want to take that feeling home?!

If this doesn't say Autumn elegantly and serenely, I don't know what does...
Go out on a limb, make your own statement. You don't have to buy into the hype that things are done one way only. And trust me, your customers will love you for it!

By the way, my friend's shop is Faded Elegance...visit her blog here !

A Prime Example of 'How To Do It Right'

There is just no one - NO ONE - who gets the whole tattered & torn haunted Halloween thing better than Debbie Dusenberry at the Curious Sofa. NO one. No, not even Disney with the fun 'Nightmare Before Christmas' decor that envelopes Disney theme parks in fall. Deb takes the prize for originality, whimsy, and totally shoppable displays of unique merchandise.

Check out her inspiring photos of her store for this past weekend's Fall Grand Opening: Curious Sofa blog. You best take a big Trick or Treat bag along - it's a grand haul of ideas!

Jana thought Deb had a great idea - I spotted Jana's version of the 'upside down witch' in front of the Joyworks store today!

I have the utmost respect for Curious Sofa store owner Debbie Dusenberry. She is an independent retailer who is not just raising the bar, she's setting it for the rest of the world to reach for. Her inimitable style, fearless ways with display, and tenacity to be utterly original and unique in everything she does is why she is a raving success in a retail market that is less than ideal. I talk about how shops need to individuate, to 'tell their own story' - no one does this better than the Curious Sofa. To say it is a 'destination store' is a gross underestimation of the cultish appeal....Deb has devotees from around the world who have repeatedly journeyed to her Kansas City Shop for the past eight years like it is a holy pilgrimage.

No, I haven't gone on my own particular pilgrimage yet.
And yes, I will. I just have to decide if it will be next September for the Halloween unveiling, or in November for the Holiday reveal. Decisions, Decisions!

Deb also writes a blog filled with insights and tips for retailers: visit her shopowner blog.

Photo Credit: Deb Dusenberry/ Curious Sofa, Inc.

Ready...Set....GO!

OK boys & girls, Labor Day is over and I'm going to say it:
Holiday. (wince) Yep, it's time to rev it up and kick it into gear!

Start creating plans for some fabulous merchandise displays and window showcases for the fall & winter holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Years Eve. Get a bead on how much merchandise you actually ordered at the gift show last January (you may want to sit down for that one....) and plan out how to cross-merchandise it, how much space it needs, where it will be located in your shop, what fixtures you'll use, what props you can add to the displays to make them memorable, then get busy creating some inspiring displays!

Holiday means more than it used to - for one thing, it encompasses Halloween! What we call 'The Holiday Season' begins in early October and doesn't end until January 2nd. Your Halloween merchandise should already be out on the sales floor in fabulous displays, in the windows, and featured in your ads.

Remember not to load every last product display with Halloween stuff, though - many people choose to celebrate a fall harvest instead, so don't turn them off with witches & ghosts everywhere in your shop. Respect your customers' choices and give them tools to celebrate their way. This concept is true for Christmas, as well - don't overload every display, window, and wall shelf with Christmas. Leave some displays as 'everyday' merchandise, and make Hannukah merchandise very easy to find. Your customers will love you for it!

I recommend that the first items you roll out for Christmas are the greeting cards and gift wrap. Most people stock up on these before the shopping begins, so get them out there this month. Remember to make up some mock packages with beautiful bows on them - maybe even an ornament or two tied on, as well - to up the profile and sales of your paper goods. By placing these products near your cashwrap, you can leave them there all through the season - making stocking easy, access easy, and help your customers to remember to replenish their supply. It doesn't take a lot of space, trust me, but it can be a nice 'soft' entrance for your Christmas rollout. Sort of softens the shock of the impending season for those of us who still don't know where summer went...