Make your shop multi-functional
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010In my July “Links I Love” (didn’t get this e-newsletter? Email me!), I posted how Quilter’s Garden in Princeton, IL, has turned an above-shop apartment into a revenue-generating Retreat Center by installing great lighting, equipment and a friendly price tag to rent to customers looking for a weekend quilting getaway.
This week, I came across the blog for Global Retail Trends, which recently highlighted the 6,000-sq.-ft. M.A.C Pro space in New York.
This particular store for the cosmetics giant is unlike any other, the blog reports. Instead, it “is a full-blown retail/studio and experimentation facility for make-up artists and beauty professionals. With its dramatic open layout, the space is a true feast for the eyes.”
Among its standout features, per the blog post:
• “At the mixing station, they can hone their skills, test samples and experiment with the product with all of the tools of the trade nearby.”
How this might translate to your shop: If you’ve attended The National NeedleArts Association’s winter or summer markets, you’ve no doubt seen the Great Wall of Yarn & Thread. Conference attendees are welcome to feel the fibers, ooh and ahh over designer-created swatches and even snip off a strand from the hanks on display. It’s a great introduction to the new products that are making their debut. Why not set up a mini-wall in your shop for customers to touch, see up close and even take home small samples of the new items you have in stock? If you’re concerned about the moochers among your clientele who only like to get something for nothing, the display could be portable (samples hung on a simple room divider unit, for example) so that it’s only up for an open house, during certain classes or under direct supervision!
• “The reference library is stocked with books, magazines and other reference materials for those who want to learn more or do research.”
How this might translate to your shop: Obviously, you’re trying to sell instructional materials, not be a lending library. On the other hand, try placing a shelf or two of old favorites in the classroom area or employee room. Encourage employees to sign out a book or DVD that could broaden their areas of expertise. They can train on their own time, and make your shop’s knowledge base that much more well-rounded. And hey, money talks: Put a $25 gift card on the line to reward any staffer who shows initiative and completes a project from one of the books in a technique he or she didn’t know before. Before long, a first-person book review could well become a staple of your shop’s e-newsletter.
Another variation on the book theme: I assume you have the pattern close by to the samples you have around the shop. Do you also have related technique guides on display? Beginners in particular might want to purchase everything they can to make sure they get a technique right the first time. Show them that you have all their bases covered.
• “At the photography studio, they can record their processes and their results.”
How this might translate to your shop: Think of how proud your students would be to not only complete a project in your class, but have it nicely photographed in a corner of your shop. With a minimal investment of a digital camera, a lightbox and an employee with a steady hand, you not only have a happy customer but consistent, professional-grade samples to showcase on your website — and even as part of a slide show in digital frames sprinkled throughout the shop. Make sure you have customers sign a document that states they are aware that, for the privilege of getting a beautiful, free photo of their project that they can use as they wish, they are also allowing you to use it in your marketing efforts.
• “A separate training area, a kitchenette and bathrooms with showers make this an ideal space for some serious learning.”
How this might translate to your shop: While I’m sure you want customers to take their time in your shop, you’re probably not willing to have them set up housekeeping. However, now may be a good time to take a look at your classroom area, your employee area and your restroom. Are these places clean and uncluttered? Are they projecting the hospitality that the rest of your shop is claiming to offer, or are they areas for which you tend to put off doing upgrades (or maintenance)? Believe it or not, this a great place to build staff morale and leadership. Focus on an area — the public restroom, for example — and get input from employees on what changes they’d like to see implemented. Remember, they’re on the front lines and may have insights into some great ideas. For example, maybe a customer has just started selling her handmade soaps locally, and could use the exposure at your register as well as your sink.
I should note that Global Retail Trends’ site is Retail-is-Detail.org, and I’d have to say its URL’s cutesy concept does ring true. What “details” are working in your shop? Wanna share? Drop me a line in the comments section below or email me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.




