Welcome to Retail Details, a blog discussion and source for topics relevant to retailing, with an emphasis on product merchandising and store display. Attractive product displays serve a number of purposes: draw customers into your store and keep them coming back, promote slow-moving or high inventory items, announce a sale, introduce new products, welcome a season and enhance the overall image and ambiance of your store. How about all of the above? I hope this blog gives you some useful ideas and inspirations. I look forward to hearing your ideas, too. Submit your pictures or input through the contact link at the bottom of this page. I look forward to an open exchange of ideas and welcome your comments.

LeVigne Wine Shop, NY, NY credit: Petia Morozov

“Re-purpose”, defined: Thrift store furniture and gallons of the whitest white paint came together to become one of the most interesting store interiors that I have ever seen. LeVigne Wine Shop recently opened in New York’s Greenwich Village. Look closely at the picture and you will see end tables on top of coffee tables on top of dining tables all strategically joined to display wine bottles. Owner, Carlo Orrico worked with Petia Morozov of Madlab to bring this unique concept to reality. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. View more pictures here: http://bit.ly/cBgFo    Thanks to DDI Magazine. I’m one of many bloggers who “re-purposed” this picture in the past few weeks.
Brunswick Bound in Melbourne, Australia has perhaps the most relevant cashwrap ever. A laminate surface tops hundreds of books stacked with “pages out” to form a sales counter that is truly inspiring!  These two store designs prove that design creativity is alive and well. Once again, I say “I wish I had thought of that”. If only I had a nickel for every time…

Honey Bunch, Toronto

Rate the Store Display:
Nicole Morrell of Honey Bunch in Toronto is a self-proclaimed “certified flea market ace”.  She uses various old and refinished items as display fixtures. It’s part of what makes her store so unique. Pictured here is a vintage hutch that she uses for featuring baby items. This display is a prime example of the effectiveness of showing multiples. Rather than cluttering the display with too many items, you’ll notice the hutch shows multiples of each item. By showing two or three of the same item side-by-side and stacked deep, the featured items become more noticeable. As long as it is kept neat, this simple (though often overlooked) technique is a staple of good retail display. You’ll notice that she also uses the same technique on a table of party supplies.

Molly and Max Pet Boutique

Alternative Display Fixtures: Curtain rods? Towel bars? Old frames?
Molly and Max Pet Boutique in Birmingham, Alabama uses curtain rods to display pet collars. Drapery rods can be inexpensive, versatile and available in many styles and sizes. I suggest the ones with fancy finial ends for jewelry displays or boutique items. Towel bars, also available in many styles and price ranges, make an attractive necklace display. An old frame utilizes wall space to show off jewelry pieces. I can picture (pun intended) this idea expanded into a grouping with frames of different sizes, each featuring a single piece of a coordinating jewelry collection or color story. I think this would be an ideal way to display jewelry in an art gallery. Thanks to the readers who sent in these last two pictures/ideas. If you have additional ideas for using rods, bars, frames or other non-traditional display fixtures, please share by clicking “comments” below and/or sending pictures via the “contact” link at the bottom of this page.

 
Retail Details: Overheard while shopping this week… “That’s not my department”.  So, maybe large stores cannot have their staff be familiar with all merchandise in every department, but how much nicer it would have been if the staff member had said “I’ll be happy to find someone who can assist you in that department”. Sometimes store staff just need the simplest of helpful tips.

Please share this blog with your retail colleagues and  friends!

~Becky