easy display

this was such an easy idea and i think it will help sell a lot of plaques.....
we had these fence pieces
and they were already white....so jon just nailed them to the wall.... and then we put a bench below....and a shutter shelf on the side....
it just really worked and the new line of plaques stand out so well...this is just very different...

I THINK IT WILL WORK GREAT

i really tend to end up with cupboard after cupboard....and THIS SEEMS like a good contrast...

all ready and FORUMS

all ready for the big sale....and hoping the customers are too!!! last year our feb sale was in the middle of a severe snow watch.... and it just ruined it....there is no way to really makeup for a disaster like that....

they can come later but its jut not the same....

im getting spam n my comments....they come in as anonymous and are for totally unrelated to anything im interested in...like trying to sell me electronics or marketing tools etc etc....i might have to put some kind of screening or reading the letters in...not sure...im getting about 2 a day...

if you signed up for the new retail store forum...THANK YOU... sorry its just for brick and mortar stores.... http://www.retailersshoptalk.com/

other forums i like are http://www.junkrevolution.com/

lots of good junk talk and some show dealers

its open to everybody..

and also for stores and all kinds of retail. . http://www.giftshopmag.com/ theres a good magazine on there too...

also im on giftbeat...they charge..but lots of good talk on there for stores mostly...

i love forums....they have been so valuable to me in going down the rocky road of retail during the last few years.... i really dont have faith in many experts....really now, do they even have stores? i dont think most do....the people i like to hear from and learn from are the ones down in the trenches like i am...facing this economy this month...

i know there is some good expert advice out there, but give me a good FORUM DISCUSSION ANY DAY...on a forum its easy for several conversations to go on at once ..

if you are a store please join us on this new one...the retailers shoptalk...link above...

marketing and events

we are days away from our big february sale....one of our 4 annual events....

heres our newspapaer ad....dh made it on the computer....we have used the deer image for years and just change the words....the theory that they will recognize our ad at a glance.....

nowdays i do less newspaper .. we do so much email and now facebook..

..but the main thing is snail mail to our 3500 person maililng list...

i find marketing so much guesswork... .

ideas

its hard to tell the difference between fleeting ideas and ideas that help you survive......
i get so many ideas its kind of confusing...



..my main one this year seems to be about 30 yr olds.....they are really saving us!!!! they are our new customers....unfortunately i barely know them....lots of them came to our store as little kids......and now they still come with their moms.....they are definitely our main customer group... our old customer base is filled up and they dont need us as much....the whole idea of collecting like we used to is about gone!!! i still collect for sure....but like my comrades, who have collected for years, im pretty full and it has to be really good for me to want it....so my age isnt my target customer anymore....
our greatest group right now is this new homeowner. in her 30s, maybe 40s.SHE NEEDS US.....she still has a house to fill or upgrade..... shes fun and adventurous AND USUALLY ON A BUDGET... ......she is eclectic and very willing to improvise or use things in different ways....she likes up cycling and vintage if it fits her needs, she likes our old parts parts for her own projects.... ..... she likes our paint ideas and likes the ideas of good wood, recycling, having something totally eclectic and even odd..


.the down side is she doesnt want a lot of extras and she has kids so she is probably on a bu dget....she really doesnt care about all the great old stuff i always dealt with....the idea of a 100$ pitcher or pot just isnt interesting to her...
so thats my big idea for the year...im trying to learn her ways... what does she read? i dont watch any daytime tv....but i hear her talk about hgtv... I WANT TO BE HER PLACE TO SHOP...





SOME OF MY IDEAS THIS YEAR..

..ROBOT SHIRTS
MAN CAVE
PRINCESS ROOM
DEEPER INTO MAGNETS AND FUN WOMEN STUFF....
MORE FACEBOOK
BETTER GARDEN ADS
TV....MAYBE
LOTS OF FABULOUS EXPENSIVE STUFF ,
A LITTLE MORE CUSTOM WORK, thru jon
go to more auctions





IDEAS I WISH SOMEONE WOULD TAKE AND RUN WITH..
.. vintage indiana, on facebook....i loved the idea , and we even set up a page, then deserted it....a place for all the stores and shows in the vintage,antique, recycled, upcycling world....neat idea!!!

girls day out....this would be so GREAT.... A FACEBOOK PAGE ALL ABOUT GIRLS DAY OUT....COVERING A 100 MILE CIRCLE AROUND ME.... .... so much of our selling is around women out having fun and shopping.... taking a break...it would list all the neat shops, the malls, cool restaurants, neat spots....kind of a tourist thing for our kind of shoppers....
a container from indiana..... i love ths one...you would call the store and walk around with a worker and a camera and buy a huge truck load and we would send a big truck load you...this one died on the vine a long time ago...

DO YOU HAVE A BRICK AND MORTAR SHOP? email me for info about a new forum just for stores.... or take a look... www.retailersshoptalk.com its just for stores..and private....your customers couldnt get on....

now heres another great idea.... a forum for show and mall booth dealers...wouldnt it be great? why dont you start one? i would gladly join, i have 2 mall booths....... forums are so nice for good discussion...with several different topics going at once....anyone want to try it? its a good baby/orphan idea imho ...

the classy middle...

HOW TO PRICE what you make....
we rack our brain on this all the time......if its a fun hobby it doesnt really matter but if you need the project to support itself you have to really work on price and hope you get one that will work.... the filter i have to put it thru at the very start is ;;;; can the product warrant 10$ an hour to make it plus materials and then the store profit????... ..

....i never see pricing higher meaning more sales..who buys like that? ...i always think my well heeled customers are pretty smart and can see the product as it is and like my nice medium nice price..

...sadly i have seen many artists flop and go back to hated jobs because they wanted the high prices right from the start and couldnt get their thing off the ground..why do artists need 50$ an hour? ive worked for 6$ at the start..
what i cant understand is online selling and packing a 3$ item, how can you make money there? if you count your time at all.......or keeping a thing going, like a store or a booth, if you arent making money...we do need to do the math........ i price medium to low to keep on making a living...and feel like my presentation tells them it isnt cheap...my theory is to make money and sell a lot....the bad thing is when you establish a price and its too low to make any profit ...been there too...there is a lot of money to be made in the classy middle range...imho if something isnt selling i usually figure its the wrong thing ...

I POSTED THIS OVER ON JUNK REVOLUTION forum....ITS A GREAT place FOR ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THE JUNK WORLD... http://www.junkrevolution.com/ and started by the fun and famous ki nassauer

there are some good junk artists on there too....and lots of good links...I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HER BIG JUNK SHOW IN MINNESOTA IN SEPTEMBER....

imho....junk is a big and growing category....at least here and at the shows...

whats worked for us is aiming OUR PRICES TOWARDS THE CLASSY MIDDLE...LOOKING GOOD AND WORTH IT AND NOT OVERPRICED BUT NOT CHEAP....a price where we are happy and the buyers are happy and WILLING TO BUY.....

I REALLY DONT GET THE IDEA THAT RAISING MY PRICES WOULD MAKE THINGS SELL BETTER....IF THAT WERE TRUE...WOW WE WOULD BE HAPPY CAMPERS!!!!

more display

this was a beautiful store in florida...she had so much in there and left holiday up all year.... totally packed but still dramatic...lotsof tall , trees or racks, in many places...

many small sections featuring one theme....and were in cubby holes and framed beautifully....

the pictures dont do it justice...