I’ve been using the tagline – Stay display inspired -  for a long time and I have never considered changing it. Letters like this are why:

This is the display mentioned in the letter. Thanks to Carolyne from Couture 360 in Lake Zurich, IL, for sharing this clever and effective display. I’m pleased that it directly resulted in increased gift card sales.

Celebrating Mother-Daughter owned shops

Lisa and Danielle Kupsc wanted to have a boutique that mothers and daughters could both shop in and find things that are age appropriate.  In 2009, they opened Flock, a whimsical neighborhood boutique in the historical district of Boston’s south end. Danielle, the daughter part of the duo, does most of the visual merchandising. They love working together and report that the buying process and going to trade shows is the area that they complement each other the most.

In October of 2010, Leah Papp and her mom opened a children’s consignment boutique in Martinsville, NJ. They decided to call their shop The Comeback Kid. Leah has a Fashion Design degree and her mom had been a business manager, so it’s no surprise that Leah handles most of the displays and signage while her mom keeps things on track through her organizational expertise.

“It’s my mom! She’s totally cool, hilarious and just a blast to be around”, claims Corey DeRoo, the daughter part of the mother-daughter team who have owned French Cuff Consignment boutiques since 2005. She goes on to tell me that her mom, Darcy McNie, is the far more creative of the team. Credit for their success goes to a combination of Corey’s business management knowledge and the fact that Darcy is 100% people person. They enjoy working with each other as they share similar work ethics and have the same vision for the direction of their business. All staff at both French Cuff shops share in the visual merchandising, which keeps every one’s creative juices flowing.

In March of 2008, Diane and Meghan Ludwig opened The Barkery Bistro because they wanted to have a fun place where pet owners could bring their four-leggeds for an outing, to have treats, select a toy, and learn about all natural dog and cat foods. Their love of animals, especially dogs, and  interest in nutrition led them to researching how, what and where they wanted to “open shop”. Their skill sets complement one another and they enjoy working side by side and learning from each other. Mom, Diane, had been a manager/buyer of a retail specialty store before graduating from law school and practicing law. Daughter, Meghan has a degree in Communications. If you visit their shop in Greenville, SC, chances are that you will be greeted by Bentley and Duncan, their two golden retrievers, pictured above, doing some product development

Though the store is not open yet, Jessica Escalante is opening a women’s clothing and accessories boutique with her mother and aunt. They made the decision to start J. Luxe Boutique last November and immediately began a business plan, signed up for trade shows and started researching locations and product lines. Jessica always dreamed of owning a boutique.  These pictures are taken before they started to renovate the space and Jessica and her Aunt Alma are seen holding the key on the day their retail journey really started. I thought it might be fun to follow their efforts as the store takes shape between now and their planned opening in July 2011.

I hope you had a nice Mother’s Day. Here’s one last Mother’s Day display to share. It comes from Ellen at The Paper Shop in Winter Park, FL. Ellen has a beautiful shop with lovely gifts, paper goods and luxury linens. Lots of pretty things!

Stay display inspired!

~Becky

About the Retail Details blog: The Retail Details is a blog about visual merchandising and features store displays, tips and ideas from around the world. The blog is written by Becky Tyre, a visual merchandising consultant. Becky also writes for print publications and you can read her articles in Gift Shop Magazine and in various blogs and industry newsletters. In her travels, Becky visits many shops and showrooms. If you would like to submit pictures for blog consideration, suggest that she visit your shop or speak to your group, you can email her at SwirlMarketing@comcast.net You can also join the conversation and see bonus display pictures at the Retail Details blog Facebook Page and follow her on Twitter @Retail_Details.