I’m looking at the summer gift show calendar and it looks like there’s no way to avoid the heat. Dallas, Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas and with the recent heat in the northeast, it looks like New York City may not be any cooler. I can’t wait to visit some stores in Connecticut in October! For now, here are a few summer inspired displays:
When your original store is located in a beach town, especially in Southwest Florida, you can use star fish, sea grass, shells and sand as display props all year round. I love the mix of white glass vase-style containers and the natural-colored boxes. I’ll bet it smells good, too! The Naples Soap Company has expanded to Georgia, Massachusetts and most recently, South Carolina. It’s encouraging to see a retail business growing.
- Don Mechanic Showroom, Dallas Mart, Dallas TX
If you were at the gift show in Dallas last month, you likely saw this cute little picnic scene in the window at the Don Mechanic Showroom. It was right by the escalator and every day it made me smile. I was “prop shopping” for fall and holiday displays, but I’ll bet these ants were used in more than a few 4th of July retail window displays. I’m planning to peek in their Atlanta showroom next week and see what other fun display ideas I can find.
This window is a follow-up to prior blogs where I featured bikes as visual merchandising props. One of my favorite features of using a bike prop is that it functions as a 2-sided display. I always appreciate a store window that is also an interior display. I understand that the store in this picture is no longer in business. I hope the wonderful old bike found a good retail home.
I look for display inspirations wherever I go. Every once in a while, I get stopped in my tracks by a simple idea that I wish I could claim as my own. Belts are a challenge to display in a tidy and eye-catching way. Fusion Home Fashion solves that problem with this wall-mounted belt display currently in their store at the Legacy Shops in Plano, TX. They mounted basic cabinet door handles and spaced them so that the belts could be positioned to display five belts in a very interesting configuration. Note the sectioned shelf at the bottom and you have a very clever, effective display.
- Shop Confederacy – Hollywood, CA
These vintage telephone booths serve as the fitting rooms at Shop Confederacy in Los Angeles, CA. Inspired by the 1940’s, each fitting room has an antique telephone that dials the front desk in case you need a different size. They also have a tea room you can book ahead for private fittings.
The Lynn Steven Boutique in Vancouver, British Columbia has a circular structure in the center of the store. When you get close, you can see
Lynn Steven Boutique - Vancouver, Canada
that the round walls are constructed by stacking used paperback books. The local architecture firm, McFarlane Green Biggar, have been widely recognized for this design and how it fits with a sustainable philosophy.
Thanks for taking the time to read the Retail Details store display blog. You can submit your unique store displays for consideration for use in upcoming blogs. Send them to the email address below.
Stay display inspired!
~Becky Tyre, Retail Details blog
Tags: ASD show, Becky Tyre, Don Mechanic Showroom, Fusion Home Fashion, Gully's Discount Store Fixtures, Naples Soap Co., Retail Details Blog, www.swirlmarketing.com
where do i apply to be your assistant? you have so much fun of a job. i really love reading this blog every month. i am learning and i hope to have a store some day. right now i work in a book store. i’m going to ask them to let me do a display soon.
Kelli. I do have the best job and I love it. If you have read all the back-posts of the Retail Details blog, you should have some pretty good ideas for creating a display at your bookstore. You could start by stacking the books high into a circular room, but your boss may frown on that
Keep in mind that even the pens at the checkout need to be merchandised well. Start small. Look for better or alternative ways to arrange merchandise. Good luck. Thanks for your comment.
~Becky
ok, where can I build a book wall in the store, hehe, love it!!
It is stunning, isn’t it? I’m designing a back to school book display that I think you will appreciate. I’ll send you a sneak peek pic as it progresses.
Stay display inspired! ~Becky
i’m opening a boutique resale store i will be selling lots of everything and i need ideas , my walls are a bahamian blue with commercial gray carpet,i need decor ideas the store size is 16×38 and i don’t want to over crowd it. right now i have a few manniquins a long counter. a purse rack which i need about 12 of them.some clothes racks,i need advice please windows have creme blinds what color curtains would you suggest.
Hi Kitty. I’ll email you to chat further. Good luck with your store design. Since you are reading the blog, it’s obvious that you are doing your homework and looking for inspiration. Assuming your curtains are going to show from outside and from within, I would recommend a neutral color. In fact, are curtains necessary? If you just need them to frame the window, you may consider something like a bi-fold door or shutter that you can actually use as display space.
Keep us posted. ~Becky
Thanks for leaving a pointer on my site to your belts display post. It was a nice addition. For the convenience of your own readers, here is a link which aggregates a number of my belt display posts … with plans for more in the future.
http://fixturescloseup.wordpress.com/?s=Belts
Good to meet you and enjoyable browsing your blog. Let’s stay in touch.
Tony