I know I am.

I’m so ready for summer that I have already taken inventory of all my flip flops. By the way, how many of you either lose the flip or the flop but never both!  I eagerly anticipate my toes moving freely without the constraints of socks or closed toed shoes, and make sure the toes are ready to be seen naked in public.

Help your customers get ready by making room in your store for some beach inspired items. Whether it’s a fun starfish necklace designed by Elly Preston or some starfish that look so real that you can almost imagine finding them in the sand. These starfish from Two’s Company are actually made of plastic so they won’t  break if someone has an accident and drops it on the floor. It’s so easy to accent lanterns with them to carry the theme throughout your display. The other trick  is to fill the lanterns with white beans or rice and put a candle in them. It protects the bottom of the lantern from wax sticking to it. Your customer’s will LOVE YOU for this tip. It looks really neat too.

You don’t need to have a beach house to transform your home to oceanfront property when you can bring the fragrance Ocean into your land locked dwelling. Whether it’s a natural soy candle, room spray or hand soap, you can almost hear waves crash around you as you delight in it’s fresh clean fragrance.

As you can see, I used just white, pale blue and tan to tie everything together visually. Omit all other color and your display will take on a light and airy feeling. You can add some scarves in the same color palette and see how everything comes together easily.

Can’t you almost feel the sand between your toes?

It’s funny how sometimes one item can inspire an entire display.

I chose this vibrant cherry apron from TAG for inspiration. One of the fixtures that I believe is money well spent is a standing bust. They average from $45- $85 and they will pay for themselves in no time at all. I’ve tried selling aprons without a bust before but they end up looking like fabric hanging from a hook. When hung properly, the pockets and pattern and overall design can be seen so much better, and that’s what helps make them sell. I sell a lot of aprons now.

So, let’s get back to the display. Quite simply, this display came together in less than 15 minutes using the principle of merchandising by color.  First I put the apron with coordinating bags on the table to create a focal point and height. Next, I grabbed these lime green boxes and simply stacked them on an angle to create height and to balance everything. Matching mugs are stacked with the same pattern and topped off with lime green gerber daisy napkin ring holders. Then, to pull it all together, I added some red tulips in two different sizes. Smaller tulips in the lime green boxes and larger ones to take up the negative space created from the tall wrought iron bust.

Grabbing this fun pea pod dish and simply placing a red apple in each of the round dishes punctuates the color scheme. Finally, I added the fun red glamorous dish washing gloves from Grandway. They are a perfect item to cross merchandise with aprons.

What I ended up with was a display that looks clean, crisp and visually simple. A lot of the visual simplicity comes from using only two colors in a display. Try this technique with any theme and you will be amazed how easy getting a great look can be in your store.

Sometimes when we are buying, exceptional items that are unique and visually appealing are a bit too expensive for our customers. At first glance, we might say “ I don’t buy that because my customers will never spend that much.” But I have an interesting theory I’d like to share.

Expensive items make everything else sell around them.

I find that time and time again by having a few “finer” items to anchor a display, the other items that didn’t seem so special now look so much more appealing. For instance, take a look at these beautiful rooster tin canisters. They are $42 for the large and $32 for the small. I personally think that this item will sell, just not as quickly as some of the lower priced items that compliment it. The birds are only $5, artichokes are $4 and the tulips in the glass vase are $9.

Please keep in mind that your displays are a staging areas for your customers. They have to imagine how it fits in their home. It’s our job to do the work for them. What I have found is that “she” will buy a couple of the lower priced items on her first visit, but then come back for the larger item. Why do you think this is? Well, the psychology behind it is that she wants the feeling that you have conveyed in your display, and there is a comfort zone when buying a few “guilt-free” lower ticket items. She gets them home and feels like something is missing. It just doesn’t look as good as it did in the store she thinks. And there you have it, already emotionally and financially invested, she decides to just go pick up that last item, which is the most expensive.

You are probably asking how I know this to be true? I’ve just seen it far too many times not to believe it. Just keep in mind that a little goes a long way, so don’t get the case pack of 24 of rooster canisters no matter what the volume discount is. I don’t buy that. Ever.

Here’s what I do.

Every once in a great while, after the store is closed, I put on some Tony Bennett and grab a glass of wine.  I know, it sounds silly, but his voice is like a big stick of room temperature butter and wine just makes everything look better. Pretend you are a customer strolling around your beautiful store and look for all the “dead” spots. You all know what I’m talking about. The spots in your store that just look downright lousy and nothing sells there because it just doesn’t look very appealing. We all fall victim to this, so you are not alone.

The good news is that it can be easily solved. Look at your display at all angles and make sure they transition smoothly by either color or theme.

These photos show an antique stove I have in my store with a side and front view. Notice how I use the apron with red flowers and geraniums (on the side) to tie into the wall pocket with red geraniums in the front of the display. By using this simple technique, it allows your eyes to follow the “punch” color, therefore creating a smooth transition.

So next time you need to spruce up your store just listen to Tony.  As he says in one of my favorite songs:

“The best is yet to come and won’t it be fine.

You think you’ve seen the sun, but you ain’t seen it shine.

The best is yet to come, come today your mine.”

What better way to get your customers prepared and excited for the planting season than to offer some garden inspired accessories? What is really “in” this year is galvanized steel. These over-sized watering cans and trays are just a couple of the items I bought from Skalny.  I have mentioned them more than once because they have a terrific eye for outdoor inspired home décor. Everything from the glass vases with rope trim, set of bottle vases in a galvanized carrier to the stark balsam potted plants tell a story of a sophisticated garden.

Even these funky nature inspired rings can find a home in this display by filling a bird feeder with black beans. I chose black because they contrast nicely with the white background of the rings that stay displayed properly because the beans hold them in place.

Also pictured are spools of twine that come in handy to tie up rose bushes and clematis in the coming months, while nature inspired prints are appealing year round. Remember by putting a riser on the back row to create a dramatic effect can make a simple item look more appealing.

Here’s a trick that works well to create height and to display pots of white geraniums or anything for that matter. I purchased a set of oversized galvanized nesting trays and put a wire basket underneath each one.  The wire baskets I used are galvanized as well so they blend in and are virtually undetected.

The definition of galvanizing is “ to stimulate or excite as if by an electric shock”. Who knows, maybe some of these ideas will do the trick for your customers and hopefully increase your sales.

I’ll never forget a year and a half ago when Chris my store manager started working with me.  When we opened up for what we call our “Barn Sale” it gets a bit crazy. Please note that nothing is “on sale” for a reduced price, we are just open with food tastings and brand new merchandise to kick off the season.

She was shocked at the amount of ladies in line at the door at 9:45 waiting for us to open. Once the floodgates opened, she just gave me this look that I will never forget.  Eight hours later she approached me horrified that we wouldn’t have enough inventory to last the weekend. If you don’t believe me, which I sometimes can’t believe myself, look on our Facebook page and see for yourself. The photos were posted live during our last open house the first week of December.

One of my biggest challenges during our open house events is keeping the store looking great while the customers “pick us clean”.  This phrase of course, comes from Chris, which we still laugh about. I explained that this was actually a good thing, and  the ladies obviously liked what I chose for them when I went to market!  Yes, the store was a mess. In fact, at the end of the long day, our meticulously merchandised store was indeed trashed.

This leads me to write this article as I get ready for my upcoming Open House or Barn Sale the first week of May.

One strategy is to “bulk up” your displays. Here we’ve kept the display looking clean, yet chock full of inventory. It’s important to understand that you are not trying to look like a box store with items lined up on long shelving units. This of course is death. You can bulk up a display and still make it look attractive if you use great accents pieces and keep it interesting by adding height. I’ve used these painted shutters to create height and a focal point. Did you notice how they mimick the shape of the arbor? Placing a sectioned off piece on top of the bench helps keep everything organized and neat. Adding baskets from Skalney  filled with flowers from Sullivans in the same color scheme helps soften the base and provides a great place to hide extra stock so the display can be easily replenished throughout the day.

This is part of the reason why it is so important to buy at least six of something. Especially if they retail for $15.00 or less like this crackles pottery from Raz. Otherwise, you will never get the strong visual effect you are looking for. Granted there are some statement pieces that you only have to buy a few, like these painted shutters. They are more expensive and may take a bit longer to sell, but they make everything around them look more desirable.

So go ahead and bulk up. But please, use caution when applying this theory to anything else than putting together a display. Afterall, it’s only few weeks until we have to start torturing ourselves trying on bathing suits.

Did you ever notice when Spring rolls around most people just seem to be in a better mood?  You may think to yourself, if I could bottle that feeling, I could make millions! Well, I have some good news. You can make revenue from that feeling if you buy into it and present it in a beautiful way.

Here ‘s a display I’d like share with you that seems to be effective in selling the feeling of nature and the sense of renewal that this time of the year gives us. You know my philosophy with displays, make it big and to the ceiling if you can. The first thing your customer should see when she walks in the front door of your store is Spring through they eyes of Mother Nature.

Anything with birds, butterflies or dragonflies that I bought at Market goes out front and center. Do you see how I have sectioned flower boxes from Vintage Imports  hanging from the ceiling with brightly contrasting potted Gerber daisies and sunflowers? They are reasonably priced at about $6 per pot from Sullivan and Raz Imports.  They are the perfect little size for her window sill, not to mention she will probably buy a couple in case she needs a small but thoughtful gift for a friend in a pinch.

I’ve  also been told by the ladies that I  am obsessed with birds. Truth be told, I am. They just put you in a good mood when they start singing at the beginning of Spring.  Bring that feeling of spring to your displays. They come in all varieties from robins to chickadees. As you can see I don’t tend to discriminate. I like them all!

Vibrant colored solid wreaths and wall pockets look stunning on a backdrop of the dark barn board. Use the colors of yellow, white and bright purple to add some excitement to a dark corner of your store. You will be surprised how everything around them gets noticed more.

So just remember that in business and in life to be good natured. Your customers will appreciate it, and so will your family. Happy Spring.

Although most of us have gift shops, baby items are usually a small or forgotten category. I’ve always thought that Spring is a great time to dabble in baby products. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t devote a huge part of my store to this category, but with the pastel colors it merchandises great with all the pinks, yellows and the light blues in the store.

I don’t tend to like things that are cutesy, but I love the items that feel handmade and special when it comes to this category. The trick here is to find items that have sense of whimsy and use not so common baby patterns. I love these bibs from Two’s Company. They are fresh looking and kind of funky. They are also reasonally priced so customers will usually by two. I don’t carry stuffed animals in my store because they just seem to commonplace to me. I would rather bring in something really special with a bit of personality. The dolls and rattles are from a wonderful company called Bla Bla.  I even give them extra points for their name. There are mermaids, frogs and a flower girl to name a few. They have some wonderful finger puppets as well in similar characters so they are a perfect add on item for just $5.

Another customer favorite are the bath mitts for baby. I try to choose ones that coordinate with my other baby items because they merchandise better, therefore sell better together.

Mix in a few children’s items like bracelets and frilly girlie aprons and there you have it, just enough baby to satisfy the even the most discriminating of the ladies.

So no matter what your age, it okay to have a little baby,  just as long as it’s not the one that cries in your store!

I recently had a store owner ask me, “How do I sell my floral stems?” They just sit there without anyone knowing what to do with them, including me!

Just as I try my best to inspire creativity with my readers, you can get  your customers creative juices going too. How, you ask?

Wall pockets are easy to fill. They come in so many shapes and sizes that your customer can easily find one she likes to fit her space and budget. You see, all you have to do is put bushes or stems without really securing them. That way you can work with your customer to modify it to fit a specific color scheme in their home. Your customer will be so grateful that she has a custom arrangement without paying a premium price. I like to keep galvanized buckets of flowers in different sizes, arranged by color. Merchandise these around the store to match the color of your other displays. They dress up the store and it allows you to grab them easily while you let your customer play a role in designing her special piece. It’s amazing when a customer feels part of the process, they tend not to mind the price as much. How can they not like what they bought? They created it with you! You will be surprised how they will turn to you to solve other decorating challenges they have because you have gone from salesperson to a trusted resource.

I also like to make a “grand“ arrangement to create drama. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s just so effective. This arrangement is just stems, all priced separately so I can easily grab what I need for my customer for what ever they need to make their creation perfect.

Usually what works well is to invite them to look around for 10 minutes or so, while  you fill the wall pocket with floral foam and secure the flower stems so they don’t move once she leaves the store. I also like to tuck Spanish moss around the edges for a finished look.

The other way I display stems is to fill a window box with floral foam and create a scene around something to anchor it. Here I’ve put our store mascot “Barney” on a bike riding through a field of flowers. They are easy to access and just look great.

Hopefully these are a couple of ideas to help you with this common challenge with floral stems. So just stay loose, have fun and be glad you never have to water them.

I just love using chocolate brown and the warm tones of fresh green moss when showing off what I have to offer for Spring. Don’t waste your money on the dried stuff in a bag if you can help it. Just go in the woods and grab a few scraps. You can usually find it at the base of trees or near large rocks. I have simply lined each shelf with moss to create a natural setting for the bird nests, birds and life-like silk potted flowers. Grape hyacyinth and paperwhites are some of my favorites.

What I like the most about this display is its height. It feels dramatic, yet approachable. It draws the eye up from floor to ceiling. I placed a 12 foot wrought iron white-washed trellis directly behind this display to help frame the space. I also got really lucky and this painted table was already the perfect shade of blue which ties the display together effortlessly.

Don’t forget to merchandise under the table as well. I filled white washed watering cans with purple lavender and hydrangea. As you can see there are small hydrangea wreaths and twig baskets filled with the colors of purple and pale blue. That’s why I can put the so much purple at the base of the display. It’s also a great way to “anchor” the display or give it some visual weight so it doesn’t  look too top heavy.

And now, a few last words from someone who really knew about the blues:

Oh, yeah, at last

The skies above are blue

My heart was wrapped up in clovers

And here we are in heaven

For you are mine

At last

Rest in peace Etta.

Etta James

January 25, 1938-January 20, 2012