Gettin' Wild With It!

As promised, here's the second post about the Wild Fibers LYS (Local Yarn Shop)
and its hotshot owner, Sarah Parker. ;0) 
She's a bonafide Wild Woman... let me show you why!

Remember that display above from my YMN Conference stage presentation? 
Sarah took notes. 
And created THIS in her store window:
Yes, Sarah took my inspiration and ran with it
Right down to having her very own giant knitting needles made! 
The giant purple 'work-in-progress' hanging in the window, 
with a cheerful chartreuse wall as a background, 
is positively traffic-stopping from the outside.
From the colors used to the needles to the 'yarn balls',
every detail  is perfect.

Oh, and then on the other side of the entrance
{with the purple-painted door!},
she put this together:
Notice that she provided two viewpoints for this window display:
From the front, out the window, AND from the back - 
because inside her shop, on your way out the door.
you walk right.past.this.display ;0)
It's a WONDERFULLY inspiring view 
as customers leave with their purchase in hand... 
and don't you think that kind of visual 'goodbye' 
makes them want to come BACK?! Yes!

But wait... there's MORE!

These photos show a huge cabinet that Sarah found in a thrift shop. 
It was green. An 'OK'green, which caught her eye, 
but it wasn't really 'HER' yet. 
After a few coats of chartreuse green paint, 
and having a mirror cut to fit in the back space,
it's definitely her!!!

It serves as a great visual draw as you enter the store - 
it beckons you in and connects visually
to the chartreuse color on the logo wall further back.

If you look at the bottom photo very closely,
you can see the vibrant purple paint 
on the wall of her classroom at the back of the store.
This connects visually to the front door, and to her logo wall.

Sarah has created a brand image of color, creativity, and energy
and immersed her customers in it
from the moment they spy her front windows.
Yup. She paid attention. ;0)
Join me, won't you,  as I offer a standing ovation
to this well-deserving young entrepreneur?
I expect continued creativity and success from her!
Way to go, Sarah!

Visit Wild Fibers in Mt.Vernon, Washington 
and online at www.WildFibers.net

{image credits: DWK for Wild Fibers; used with permission;
all rights reserved by Wild Fibers}

"There's An App for That!"


Have you been taking my advice on where to get unique, inexpensive props for your displays?
If so, there's a new resource available online that can help you find garage sales, thrift shops, and flea market sales in your area! Check out Garage Sale Tracker online.


AND, to help you make locating great sales even easier, they've created an iPhone App!!!
To promote it, they are GIVING AWAY AN iPHONE! 
Click here for details on how to win, via Twitter and Facebook. 
Contest runs May 4 to June 4, 2010.

I am not involved with the company or the contest, 
they just asked me to help promote it. ;0)
{Image credits: GST; used by permission}

A Walk on the Wild Side

I spent today with a retailer who is determined to do everything she can 
to make her business succeed. And it's working! 

Sarah owns Wild Fibers, a wonderful Local Yarn Shop in Mt. Vernon, Washington, and we met at the YMN Conference in Seattle in March.  At the close of my presentation there, Sarah hired me as a color consultant to help her choose effective paint colors for her retail space. I helped her create a palette of colors that reflect her business brand {which is bright, happy, cheerful, and much like her own bubbly personality}. She has been busy painting for a month, utilizing them in the various areas of her space to direct attention and gain visual impact. {Including a purple front door. Oh yeah!} Sarah told me that she's had many suggestions and a lot of feedback regarding colors for her store - I can't wait to hear some of the comments she gets when her regulars get a load of that door!!!

Today, I painted her business logo on the wall behind the cash wrap.
Doing this accomplished several objectives: 

*The color is a vibrant visual draw, and pulls people toward the back of her long store. 
After looking at it, the eye travels to the products displayed beyond it - and people walk over into that corner.

*The shop name on the wall also helps her build brand image. 
A graphic like this puts an indelible picture in the minds of customers - when they leave, that colorful bright graphic image sticks in their minds' eye. When they hear the word 'wild' or 'fiber', this image will immediately come to mind and remind them of the shop.

*And on a practical note, Sarah will never have to answer the question 'Who do I make the check out to?' again. It's right there in front of her customers as she rings up their purchases.

This is a great shot of the logo wall, the warm & cheerful colors chosen to accent the space, and the power of color on a display fixture. I'm going to share more of Sarah's displays with you in a coming post.... she has always done a great job with her windows and I know you'll find her latest creations very inspiring. Visit her web site to see a few before & after shots of the store.

By the way, Sarah created her own FABulously professional logo.
I told you she was determined!

{images by Debi Ward Kennedy for Wild Fibers}

Food for Thought

 There's a great article on the CNNMoney.com Small Business Page right now:
"Why Amish Businesses Don't Fail". Check it out here.
Make sure you scroll down the page after the article and read the comments... 
{OK, maybe not all 2001 of them.... but some of them.}
Interesting perspectives on what constitutes a 'successful business'.

{I find it interesting that the story is set in Millersburg, Ohio...
My husband's mom's family is from there, as well as Fredericksburg, Ohio,
and there were MANY entrepreneurs and business owners in the family.}

Image Credit: CNNmoney.com

Location, Location, Location

Retail is products & merchandise. Service, and experience. And sometimes, it's all about the setting. No brick & mortar store can compete with an outdoor location for a retail shopping event, or the way that nature provides the perfect light, colors, scents, textures, and props. Without any coaxing at all, she brings a glorious life to everything in proximity.

The photos shown above are of the effects of a natural location {the remarkable orchards, barn, & grounds of the Dana-Powers House in Nipomo, California} on our Retreat booth at the recent Remnants of the Past Antique show in California. Can you even imagine a more beautiful setting? I certainly can't, and I'd wager to say that the editor and photographers of Country Living magazine can't, either - they stayed all day and photographed everything and everyone for an upcoming story. This was the perfect show in every way, and I am so happy we were invited to participate.

Every one of the fifty vendors presented their glorious wares with such style and flair, you just have to see some of them:

Inspiring, yes? There are hundreds of great display ideas in these photos. Even if your store isn't located in the midst of a lemon orchard, you can utilize touches of nature each season to really bring your products to life. 

Today we were invited to return to Nipomo for the Fall show in October, and we are thrilled to be able to be a part of this remarkable experience once again. Now all I can think about is how absolutely glorious that setting will be in a riot of fall color!

{images: mine; of Retreat, The Tattered House, Blue Canoe, Pammy J Designs}