Every year, I look for holiday display ideas that are easy-to-implement but eye-catching and effective. This one is no exception. I have used this concept in various forms and it is one of the easiest displays ever:
All you need is a mannequin (or at least the bottom half of one). Gift wrap some boxes and use gift bags with your store name or store brands on them and stack them as high as possible. Don’t have a mannequin? Get a bicycle and create the same effect with boxes rising out of the basket. Prop variations: red wagon, toy box, sleigh, big red Santa’s bag, sled, hammock (for our warm winter location fans)… you get the idea. This particular image, above, is a window at Moschino.
In response to several requests for examples of how to cross-merchandise apparel and fashion accessories in a wall display, here’s a well-executed display at Lux Boutique in Naples, FL. This layout works for slatwall or any perimeter system that accepts hangrods and shelves. If you don’t have a system, you can purchase wall-mount hooks and brackets to achieve a similar merchandise pattern. Note the apparel facing forward for exposure and on the bar for selection. Adjustable height display hooks on stands are versatile, shown displaying handbags and apparel. Every store can use a few of these, as they are idea for countertop and table displays, as well. Consistent jewelry display forms complete the wall display collage.
Bird cages — new and vintage — are all the rage for store display these days. You have undoubtedly seen them as jewelry display fixtures, for which they are ideal. This fun idea at Camp Hollyhock in Portland Oregon uses a bird cage to display an infant onesie giving it quite a feature presentation.
Stay display inspired!
~Becky
As always, thanks for spending a few minutes celebrating displays with the Retail Details blog. We invite you to submit images of your displays to be considered for inclusion the blog. See contact information in the sidebar of this blog.
The display is from 
Another fun Facebook find was Miss I Have Hangups, an entry in the Vote for your Favorite Scarecrow event with proceeds to benefit the Lexington, MO Food Pantry. The scarecrow is made almost entirely from apparel hangers and is the entry from 
I know you are going to ask, so I’ll go ahead and answer 
… the rope can be wrapped around vertical pipes to keep the hangrods from swinging.
One of the more frequent requests I receive from clients and blog followers is for ideas for displaying plush animals. When I spotted this display fixture at the Sea World store in the Orlando airport, I hung up on a phone call to take a picture with my camera.
Here’s a closer view.
As you would expect, Retail Details blog is a resource for visual merchandising students. We work closely with several schools to provide content for class discussions and we show up in many footnotes for college projects. Recently, some students sent me this picture of a store window assignment to thank me for sharing the “inspiration”. I’m not one of their instructors, but I would give them a good grade for execution. However, I would like to see them put their own twist on the window installation. (
Plush pet toys fill a garden fountain. Likely made of cement, this heavy-duty fixture makes a great display.
Glass jars cover an entire display table, also at Muttropolis.
Filled with treats and chewies, we love how they are labeled in white marker and the versatility of the jars as display units.
We first discovered South Park when someone suggested a new shop called 
Though pallets are definitely the theme for the fixtures at Graffiti Beach, we found some interesting and functional props that worked well with the unique nature of the merchandise. For instance, this fan for a sunglasses display.
In the fan picture, you can see the shelf lined with book pages and they continued this theme into the wall shelves and even on the display hanger.
A book that is a piece of art in itself, makes a great display prop for handmade headbands and jewelry.
This concept is not exactly new, but it works so well as a children’s store! This image is from Piccino Kids Wear in Valencia, Spain. Retail Details will be in Madrid in January, but might plan a day-trip to Valencia just to see the rest of this store.
On our New England trip last month, we found a lovely small town with a great street full of independent boutiques. One of them was Toney Toni in Katonah, NY. This upscale apparel store has the most awesome fixtures. Custom made of copper pipes, they have wall fixtures with shelves and hooks and…
…even a copper pipe dress form. My pictures do not do it justice. The fixtures really make the store displays unique!
Even the jewelry displays continue the copper pipe theme.
Earlier in that trip, we found another small town with numerous indie stores to visit. One of our favorites was 
They have an entire wall of display shelves with specialty gifts, teas and tea accessories. The bow-front shelves made a lovely wall.
The attention to detail made the displays look almost styled as though they were prepared for a catalog shoot, yet approachable. Well done! The dark chocolate, caramels and petit fors we purchased were quite a treat, as well.
Another example of superb attention to detail in display is from 
