At The Scarlet Tassel, It's All About Home
By Tracy Pulley, Contributing Editor

Just two years after its launch in 2003, Atlanta's gift, home décor and accent furniture store, The Scarlet Tassel, was named one of the country's 50 Retail Stars by Home Accents Today. Owners Shelly Dozier-McKee and Deirdre Staab were naturally thrilled but didn't see it as an "overnight success."  Before opening their doors in up-and-coming suburb Sandy Springs, the pair spent well over a year meeting with focus groups, working with a local small-business development center and scouting out possible locations for their dream store.

Dozier-McKee and Staab, who worked together at a retail catalog company before becoming business partners, felt confident about their preparation efforts; still, they had a few nervous moments when starting their business.  "We bought product to open the store and didn't know if it would be enough," says Dozier-McKee.

Staab feels that staffing presented the biggest early hurdle.  "We had three employees; Shelly and I were on the floor quite a bit."  What a difference three years makes; The Scarlet Tassel now employs a staff of 15.  "Getting the right person for our business is a challenge," says Staab.  "When we brought in someone outgoing and gregarious, we found them to be not as good at listening to what the customer is saying.  Our ideal employee is understated, quiet...and loves the product."

The product is easy to love; the store is filled with one pleasing vignette after another.  Partial walls create cozy nooks for candle displays, home office items, pet goodies, throw pillows, bath and personal care, wine bar products and men's gifts.  Walls are covered with distinctive clocks, moderately priced art and tassels of every shape, size and provenance.  Dozier-McKee says that the mini-vignettes are designed for utility as well as beauty.  "We merchandise the store in lifestyles so the minute a customer walks in the door she'll get ideas for decorating her home," she adds.

After working with a commercial designer to create a homey, relaxing and inviting environment, Dozier-McKee and Staab's thorough store design preparation was rewarded as well: The Scarlet Tassel received a Bronze ASID Design Excellence award in 2004.  But the store doesn't rest on its laurels; Dozier-McKee said that they're constantly updating displays.  "It's not unlikely for a customer to come in twice a week," she notes.

Location, employees, products, store design — all of the components work together to create success, but there are other, less-tangible elements at work.  Staab believes one of those is not getting distracted by other retailers.  "We don't pay attention to competitors; we focus on what we're doing," she emphasizes.

Future plans for The Scarlet Tassel involve branching out into e-business instead of a larger space (the store is 4,000 square feet).  Staab doesn't want the store to ever be so large that she and Dozier-McKee don't have personal contact with customers.  "Having that customer connection has been a joy," says Staab.  "We're laughing all the time."

Note:  See giftbeat.com/subscribers for interior shots of The Scarlet Tassel.

How To Keep 'Em Coming Back

The Scarlet Tassel reaches out to its customers in myriad ways, from in-store workshops to "home visits."  Owners Shelly Dozier-McKee and Deirdre Staab know that happy customers are repeat customers, and they have a number of creative ways to spread the joy:

(1) They make it personal.  "We know a lot of our customers by name," says Dozier-McKee.

(2) To reinforce the idea that employees are hands-on and approachable, they outfit everyone in red canvas carpenter aprons.  "A lot of times we're toting around hammers and tape measures; they're practical and create the image we want," explains Staab.

(3) Because many customers come into the store with decorating questions, The Scarlet Tassel offers several levels of design services.  "We have an ASID-certified interior designer on staff," says Dozier-McKee, "and we make 'accessory calls' where we go to the home and add finishing touches.  It's very popular."

(4) Free design workshops show customers that the store isn't just a place to shop but also a place to learn.  A side benefit is often increased sales of the featured products.

(5) "We teach our employees to never say no to a customer," says Staab.  Employees fill out a form for special customer requests; Dozier-McKee decides if the store can meet the need and follows up with every customer.  "This is a customer-driven business," explains Staab.  "We learn so much from them."

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