Archive for the ‘Store Windows’ Category

Facebook is not a verb & other store display ideas

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Last week, on Facebook, I asked retailers if they have incorporated Twitter and Facebook into their store identities by using the logos in their store windows, displays or signs. For this blog post, I hoped to be able to tell you exactly where to get your official social media stickers, but that information is not easily located. You can readily locate the links to download their logos and read page after page of rules for the use of such logos. I learned that Facebook has a rule stating that you should not use Facebook as a verb. I find that entertaining, because most brands would be flattered to become a verb. Ask Velcro, Google, Xerox, Hoover and Hula Hoop.

Catching Fireflies created a store window to promote involvement with their social media campaigns. They used this display to invite customers to join the firefly party online with their savvy social media pages. They have two stores in Michigan; Berkley and Rochester.

Little Cherubs Clothing in the Torquay, UK appears to have an official cling in their window.

Jean Genie in Manchester, UK, uses interior chalkboard signage to direct customers to their social media pages.

If you have social media logos in your displays,  click comment at the end of this blog post and “link” us to your pages, websites and blogs. We like and follow. Here are our links: Facebook, Twitter.

Display Backdrops

At their Brookhaven store in Georgia, Boogaloos  uses two beautiful old doors in the background of their store window display. This is a lovely example of back drops that add to the  interior store decor, as well. When possible, it is best to choose two-sided backdrops or display elements that allow for merchandise to be shown on both sides.

Ginger Boutique – located in Winter Park, FL and Bethesda, MD -  shows how a double-sided backdrop provides a background for the mannequins in the window without completely obstructing the view into the store.

Display Eye Candy:

This CUP OF TEA display is courtesy of Anthropologie, who are internationally-known for their creativity in visual merchandising. Retail Details blog is pleased that the Anthro visual teams enjoy our visual merchandising blog and appreciate all the nice comments and notes. You guys are truly display inspired and inspiring! Thanks for sharing.

Coincidence? I think not…

This display is the first in a series of store displays that I will be featuring using armoires, hutches and desks as store fixtures. A few weeks ago, I was doing some research for a magazine article and admiring some museum store displays. They have done a nice job of using all surfaces for display, including the doors and drawers. Also, you may notice the use of the colors and the arrangement of the yellow and blues to bring contrast – and interest – to the display.

The coincidence, you may ask? This display is from the Swedish American Museum  in Chicago, IL. As I type this blog post, my bags are packed to head to Sweden, as my daughter is getting married in Stockholm later this week. I have arranged to visit some retail stores there and I’m sure I’ll have lots of display pictures to share. Swedes are known for simple, but very creative displays and I hear they make great son-in-laws too!

Summer gift shows: Attending any markets this summer? We’d love to meet you. Send us your email address and we will keep you posted of where Retail Details will be and when. Dallas Gift Show is our first stop and Becky will be doing several seminars in the OneCoast showroom with SnapRetail. If you want to learn about blogging or visual merchandising, you will find her seminars listed on the Dallas Market Center website events calendar.

Stay display inspired!

Retail Details blog, Becky Tyre, Swirl Marketing~Becky

Becky Tyre is a Florida-based journalist, visual merchandising consultant and display designer. She writes about retail topics, blogging and visual merchandising for national and trade publications. She is the owner and writer of the Retail Details blog at SwirlMarketing.com Email: SwirlMarketing@comcast.net

Made Ya Look! visual merchandising and store display ideas

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Made ya look!  Isn’t that the purpose of store window displays?

This display not only makes you look, it draws you in and presents quite a bit of merchandise and information. The window speaks: we sell men’s, women’s, shoes, hats, belts, ties, watches, hats, satchels, sunglasses, jewelry, nail polish and I’m sure I missed something else in the picture. I’m always pleased to share clever displays and this one came from a Twitter friend, @iROMEnyc and the picture was taken at Nordstrom at the Garden State Plaza in New Jersey.

Last week was Earth Day and in celebration, Miss Demeanor boutique located in Cape May, NJ, dressed their forms in supermarket bags and newspaper. They sell eco-friendly and civic minded items, many of which are handmade. This sidewalk display attracts customers and also serves as a reminder to recycle and repurpose.

I was on assignment in Winter Park, FL, for Earth Day and I purchased these flowers at Earth Inspired Living, where they celebrate the earth every day. The flowers are made from recycled plastic bottles by two artists at Green Art Studios. Wouldn’t they be great for store displays?

I’ve had some requests to include some traditional display methods in the blog and I ran across this example of a slatwall display that exhibits the versatility of this type of perimeter display. At Something Special, they combine wire baskets, slatwall hooks and glass shelves on this wall in the infant & toddler area of their shop in Vincennes, IN. As you see, they are able to feature toys, towels, clothing and accessories with very little wasted space due to the strategic placement of the fixtures on the slatwall. Such displays can easily be  rearranged as the product mix changes.

The Retail Details blog would like to wish a Happy Anniversary to RUNG  in Saint Louis, MO. This shop has been open for one year and continues their mission to bolster the confidence of pro-fessional women in the business world by offering professional attire at affordable prices. 100% of the profits at RUNG go to support the work of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis. We applaud their efforts and their success, as they celebrate this week. Rung is set up much more like a nice boutique than a resale store. Their decor looks high-end, but is arranged in a fun and comfortable manner. They chose a bold color to paint their display tables, shown at left. The color continues on the wall where the name of the shop is clearly displayed with a ladder as a symbol of their commitment to assisting women as they ”outfit their corporate climb“.

As any leftover Easter products are moved to the clearance table, spring displays turn into Mother’s Day displays. Swagger Gifts in the UK filled these shelves with gift items in tones of pink and green, which is also evident in their Mother’s Day signage as the letters are cut from pretty, feminine papers in the same palette.

I don’t get very many bookstore displays submitted for blog consideration. Mother’s Day is an ideal time of year for book shops to feature the vast selection of products that they stock, in addition to books. In this two-sided display from Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA,  Jennifer demonstrates effective cross merchandising by pulling products from all departments in the store. The birdcage and flowers create some added height and provide a break in the top shelf of the display. They create their own double-sided signage for most holidays and events.

Thanks for taking the time to read the Retail Details blog. Happy Mother’s Day.

Stay display inspired!

Retail Details blog, Becky Tyre, Swirl Marketing~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 and a prop shopper for The Display Lab. Becky also writes for print publications and you can read her articles in Gift Shop Magazine and in various blogs and print publications like InStore Magazine, a product of the Dallas Market Center. 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.

Spring store displays – visual merchandising with flowers

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

Thanks to all the shops who sent in pictures of your spring displays. I’m saving the “bunny” ones for closer to Easter and will continue to share spring pictures on the Retail Details Facebook Page.  The blog will return to the normal format with more commentary soon. Until then, I’ll let the floral pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy. House Special Interiors, Retail Details blog, Visual merchandisingDid you know that an atichoke is a flower? I didn’t. This display is from The House Special Interiors in Fayetteville, AR.

Anastazia Geneva, Retail Details blog, Visual merchandisingThis window display at Anastazia Geneva, in Geneva, IL,  is a good example of how flowers can be used in a two-sided display.

RICE, Retail Details blog, Visual merchandisingThis picture is courtesy of RICE, a Danish Company and the picture is taken at Viddals Gartneri og Hagesenter in Ålesund, Norway.

Carr Gardens, Retail Details blog, store display ideas

Spring display at Carr Gardens, Blue Island, IL.

The Miller House, Retail Details blog, store display ideasWheelbarrow display at The Miller House in Stephens City, VA.

Twisted Sisters, Retail Details blog, store display ideasAnother two-sided window display. This one is from Twisted Sisters in Butte, Montana.

St John's Aux Gift Shop, Retail Details blog, Visual merchandising, store display ideasSt. John’s Auxiliary Gift Shop, located in the St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, MO.

Casa Papel created this window for the recent Philadelphia Flower Show.

Add heighth to a display with flowers, like this display at Two Friends in Perry, GA.

Gatewood Hall, Retail Details blog, store display ideas, visual merchandisingSpring tablescape at Gatewood Hall Gracious Home in Blue Ridge, GA.

Classics and Country, Retail Details blogClassics and Country Home Decor in Alexandria, VA.

Wm King Clothiers, Retail Details blog, store display ideas, visual merchandisingFlower fun! Wm. King Clothiers in Bristol, TN

Philadelphia Flower Show March 2011Philadelphia Flower Show, March 2011

Flower dress courtesy of Alexander McQueen.

Happy Spring.

Stay display inspired!

Retail Details blog, Becky Tyre, Swirl Marketing~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. Becky is a visual merchandising consultant and a prop shopper for The Display Lab. Becky also writes for print publications and you can read recent articles by her in Gift Shop Magazine and InStore Magazine, a publication of the Dallas Market Center. In her travels, Becky visits many shops and showrooms. If you would like to submit pictures for blog consideration or suggest that she visit your shop, you can email her at SwirlMarketing@comcast.net 

Store displays & visual merchandising winners

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Last September, the Retail Details blog announced the Retail Details New Year Store Display Contest. Over 40 stores entered and in January, four stores were chosen as the finalists. As promised, here are all the finalist entry photos.

HiHo Home Market is a delightful family owned shop, filled with old and new furnishings and treasures. Located in the beautiful Hudson Valley in Gardiner, NY.  As their finalist entry, they chose a black, white and pink theme and added an elephant, which made the judges smile at the irony of the pink elephant connotation in a New Year’s “cheers” theme. The judges commented that they really liked the use of color in this display.

Dumbo wears the top hat

Celebration decals on glass

Happy New Year!

Chandelier and "celebrate" on glass

HiHo Home Market display for contest

 The Miller House is a  unique shop with the very best home décor, gifts and furniture. They feature traditional to transitional design for your home. Judges  especially liked the attention to detail (ie: champagne glasses with watches) and enjoyed the continuity of a NEW YEAR’S time-based theme for the entire display.

New year's mantel with chandelier and clocks

Decals on the pillow and the square white tray

Watches as napkin rings

The Miller House contest finalist entry

A. Dodson’s is not just a store — it’s a destination. You’ll find this shop unpredictable, quirky, and alluring. Just outside of Norfolk, Virginia.  A Dodson’s is the first place winner in the contest. 

Top hat and chandeliers

Clock face ;-)

Pearls!

A Dodson's finalist contest entry

Party!

 The second place winner is Greetings From Geralyn. It is a little shop with great cards, gourmet food, candy, gift wrap, and scrapbooking supplies in Asbury Park, NJ. They decorated their entire storefront for the contest.

Greetings From Geralyn contest entry

Incorporating the record tree into the New Year display

Greetings From Geralyn contest entry window

Thanks to all the stores who entered the contest, the businesses who sponsored the contest and prizes and the judges!

Stay display inspired!

Retail Details blog, Becky Tyre, Swirl Marketing~Becky