VISUAL DELIGHTS
Great Retail Displays
By Lisa Casinger, Retail Editor

Typically when we talk about visual merchandising and great displays we use images from vendors' showrooms, but this time I've pulled pictures from retailers across the country.

Don't get me wrong — I've seen some great vendor displays this year and we've shared many of them in the daily issues we publish in High Point and Atlanta.  They provide inspiration for ideas you can create in your stores, but sometimes I think they might be a bit daunting because they are picture-perfect.  Part of the challenge of having a good display in a retail store is maintaining it — a good problem to have because it means customers are scooping up product, but a challenge nonetheless.

Here are a few examples from stores this year.

One of my favorite stores in Atlanta, The Scarlet Tassel, stands out not only for its clever displays, but also for the flow of the store.  Customers are unknowingly led through each and every nook and cranny by vignettes that seem to meld together yet maintain their own themes.  This summer the front window showcased a garden theme with tulip flowers "planted" in flower pots.  Another vignette held a plethora of garden-themed gifts and accessories centered on a mirror that looked like a window.

In Savannah, 24E is blessed with a huge space to work with, but retailers Ruel and Delaine Joyner have set up booths along the perimeter and each has a slice-of-life scene layered with product.  It's interesting, it's fun and the booths serve as 3-D frames for the merchandise.

Catering to a more traditional customer, A Classic Design in Highlands Ranch, Colo., shows product in striking room scenes so customers can see how the merchandise will look in their homes.  The look is lush, layered and well-appointed.   Though the settings hold more accents than most people would put together in their own homes, it offers suggestions and options just the same.  And selling product from the display doesn't leave it feeling empty.

Reynolds Garden Shop in Manahawkin, N.J., began as a small roadside flower stand down the street from its current location.  Today the shop spans two blocks and three buildings and boasts everything from home accents and furniture to a full greenhouse and nursery.  Displays change with the seasons, and this fall one is a perfect example of artfully showing color stories.  Visual merchandisers around the world talk about the impact of similar-colored items grouped together to pack a punch, and Reynolds Garden Shop certainly understands that concept.

If you have an exceptional display you're proud of or have seen one in another store, send them to me at lcasinger@reed-business.com.  You just might find your store highlighted in an upcoming issue.

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