Darrah & Co. Magazine / Winter 2020

6 Tips for Selling Kids Retail

Winter 2020

Policies, Pricing, Perks & Perils

Understanding online wholesale marketplaces

PLUS

Why We Love Viv & Lou Get to Know Our Senior Reps Eco-Friendly Products

ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL GIFT MARKET: JANUARY 14–21 VIB DAY: JANUARY 13

CONTENTS

winter 2020 features

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Understanding Online Wholesale Marketplaces All of your questions answered!

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Kids Stuff Six great tips for children’s retailers

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DARRAH & CO. LTD. 40 JOHN PORTMAN BOULEVARD SUITES 1818, 1819, 1812 & 1834 ATLANTA, GA 30303 (404) 577-6538; (800) 741-6614 FAX: (404) 577-9278 WWW.DARRAHREPS.COM

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6 Meet Our Senior Reps 8 Go Green: Eco-Friendly Products 10 Vendors We Love: Viv & Lou

in every issue 4

O n Our Minds Lindsay Darrah DeMeyer welcomes you to the winter market in Atlanta.

MADISON/MILES MEDIA PRESIDENT ADAM WEISS EDITOR KIMBERLY TURNER DESIGNER ASHLEY GEROU ART DIRECTOR BEN CARPENTER Darrah & Co. is published twice a year by madison/miles media, 624 Six Flags Drive, Suite 226, Arlington, TX 76011.

Visit madison/miles media on the Web at www.madisonmilesmedia.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without permission. © 2020 Darrah & Co.

Winter 2020 Darrah & Co.

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ON OUR MINDS

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We Love to Help You Succeed

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Darrah & Co. Winter 2020

ur industry is always changing, and we work hard to evolve with it. Recently, retailers and vendors have had questions about online wholesale markets. As always, we want to be a resource to you and to help your business succeed, so in this issue, we’ll help you understand how these sites work.

Not everything changes, though. In fact, several of our reps are celebrating more than two decades with us, and we thought the start of the new decade was a great time for you to get to know them better. In this issue, we’ve also got useful tips for kids retailers and eco-friendly products your customers will love.

We hope these helpful articles will tide you over until we see you in person at our showroom on the 18th floor of Building 2 in Atlanta’s AmericasMart complex. We’ll have the usual fun events, product giveaways and hospitality waiting for you.

Please also join us for the Certified International signings, Glory Haus party, Violet and Brooks event and our popular Saturday night Varsity event where you can enjoy food from one of Atlanta’s most iconic restaurants.

Follow us on social media (facebook.com/DarrahCompany and @darrahcompany on Instagram) for more details and all of the latest info on events and market activities. We’re looking forward to seeing you in January!

Winter 2020 Darrah & Co.

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shoptalk get to know us

Two Decades of Success These four Darrah & Co. superstars have been with us for more than 20 years. We spoke to them about their favorite memories, hobbies, advice for newbies and more. Get to know them a bit better!

TRACY SAUER Sales Representative, Central and Eastern South Carolina Start year: 1999 About: Tracey came to us 20 years ago with 13 years of sales experience already under her belt, including seven in the gift industry.

During her time with us, she has been one of our top-producing sales reps, and thanks, in part, to her former position as a cheerleader with the University of Miami, she also has enthusiasm and excitement that are contagious.

Why she loves Darrah: We have such a professional organization with a great reputation. All the employees work well together. We have great lines, and I make a good income. I love working with Darrah & Co. I love what I do. And I love my Darrah family.

Favorite thing about the job: Flexibility. And they have my back.

I can leave for vacation, and I know

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they will take care of my customers.

I have a good time doing my job.

Hobbies: Boating, fishing, walking with my girlfriends at 7:30 in the morning and playing in a pickleball league.

Most unusual job: It’s not unusual, but right out of college, I worked for a non-union airline as a flight attendant. We did charter flights and military flights. There really weren’t many restrictions, so we could act crazy during our demos, had crazy names, put live CO2 cartridges in the life vests.

We travelled overseas. I would get large tips from the military guys. One guy gave me one of his medals.

Advice for industry newbies: Just get out there and meet the customers. Work on building a relationship with each and every customer you can. Find out about their children, animals, likes, dislikes, etc. This business is built on relationships!

Favorite Darrah memory: There are so many. We have the most wonderful Christmas parties ever! We have fun sales meetings.

One year, they took us to Las Vegas and gave us a beaded purse with a $100 bill in it plus other goodies. It’s always fun!

RHONDA RICHARDSON Sales Representative, Western North Carolina Start year: 1999 About: Before coming to us, Rhonda did radio sales and was a gift rep in Nashville and Asheville. She has also owned her own retail business! She was the recipient of the prestigious President’s Award in 2003 and is a true asset to our team.

Why she loves Darrah: The freedom that comes with this job has been a great gift, especially because I’m a single mom. And, obviously, I love the people.

Vicki, Lindsay and Susan have been like family, and their true passion for us reps is an awesome and rare gift in any industry!

Favorite thing about the job: Doing something different every day and seeing different customers keeps the job fun, interesting and challenging.

Hobbies: Hiking and hanging out with friends Surprising fact: I partied with the Eagles in 1978.

Advice for industry newbies: Don’t take the “no”s personally! Get out there every day, give great customer service and, above all, enjoy the ride!

Favorite Darrah memory: One night at Vicki’s home, all of her girls were lined up on the staircase and were tagged “Vicki’s Angels.” We always had so much fun after hours, being silly and pulling great pranks on each other.

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BETH TRAINER Sales Representative, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and select other North Carolina accounts Start year: 1992 About: Beth has been with us for 28 years and is one of the key members of our team. Prior to working with Darrah, she was a manager and buyer for Ivey’s department stores and outside sales rep for another gift organization.

Why she loves Darrah: Many things have kept me working for Darrah and Co. for so long. Most important would be that they value

LARRY CAMPBELL Showroom Manager Start year: 1999 About: Larry spent 12 years as a buyer in the specialty retail market before joining the Darrah & Co. family. Today, he wears many hats — handling sales database management, vendor interface, showroom layout, catering and general problem solving. We’re so fortunate to have Larry in our showroom.

me as a person. They understand how important my family is to me, and through the years, they have always worked around any situation, allowing me to put family first.

Favorite thing about the job: Working face to face with my buyers, working as a team to get the best products for their shops and taking care of any problems along the way. I have the absolute best group of buyers and treasure my relationships with them.

Hobbies: I enjoy being on the water. I grew up canoeing, kayaking and white water rafting with my family. On weekends now, Mike, Savannah and I head out to the lake to boat, jet ski or watch the sunset in kayaks.

Surprising fact: I lived in a convent in London for two months during the summer while in college

and studied religion and history.

Most unusual job: The most unusual job I have ever had was a summer job while in school in East Carolina University. I worked for an editor who was publishing Who’s Who in Martial Arts. I was his assistant and worked with many famous martial arts professionals.

Advice for industry newbies: Be organized, know your products and get in front of your buyers. This adds value to you and forms a partnership that benefits your retailers, you and your manufacturers.

Favorite Darrah memory: By far, my favorite memories are from our annual Christmas party at Vicki’s home and now Lindsay’s home during our December sales meeting.

It always kicks off the Christmas season for me. We come together more as friends than coworkers and celebrate.

Why he loves Darrah: The Darrah family has allowed me to grow where I have been planted, so to speak. Our company has grown substantially over these past 20 years, and I am happy to say that I have been allowed to help us move forward from the showroom perspective. They have always considered my opinion and valued my point of view.

Favorite thing about the job: My favorite thing is both the blessing and the curse of our industry: change. We completely change our 23,000-square-foot showroom twice a year. We have it down to a science now and make it look easy, but that’s a skill that has taken 20-plus years to develop.

Hobbies: Spending time with my husband and our cats! Home is where my heart is.

Most unusual job: I’ve worn a lot of hats in my life! Certified Cake Decorating Instructor is probably the least expected.

Advice for industry newbies: It is a LOT harder than it looks! Be prepared!

Favorite Darrah memory: There are too many to write about!

SO many wonderful people have passed through our doors in these 20 years. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people from all walks of life — business owners, celebrities and others — many of whom are still friends today.

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shoptalk get to know us

Go Green!

Your customers — and the environment — will adore these eco-friendly product lines.

With climate change and environmental concerns on many people’s minds, consumers are looking for more sustainable gift options. Here are a few of our favorites:

SOUTHERN FIREFLY Southern Firefly Candle Company is an eco-friendly company you can feel good about supporting. Heather Ainsworth, who runs the business with her husband, Brandon, says, “When we set out to produce our candles, we purposely chose a container that can be reused once you are finished with the product.” After you have burned your candle, wash it to transform the container into a dishwasher-safe drinking glass — though you shouldn’t feel limited by that. “Our customers are always surprising us with the creative ways they repurpose the vessel,” says Heather. “We’ve seen planters, pen holders, Q-Tip holders, you name it. The same goes for our packaging. We selected a container made from recycled paper, and we try to help educate consumers about our reusability.”

CAIT + CO. Ten years ago, Caitlin Abshier created her first bath and body products in her momma’s laundry room with a soap-making kit she got for Christmas. Today, Cait + Co. has moved into an 11,000-square-foot warehouse that sells across the country. But one thing has not changed: products that are made by hand in small batches without fillers, petroleum, parrafin or harmful mineral oils. As if that weren’t enough of a reason to feel great about this line, Cait + Co. also donates 5% of proceeds to The Lovin’ Soap Project — a grassroots organization that teaches the craft of soap-making to women and girls in developing countries to help them break the cycle of poverty and provide for their families.

ELLEMBEE Ellembee’s clothing, home goods, towels, coasters and pouches are emblazoned with funny sayings, stylish graphics and adorable illustrations. No matter what the design though, they are all printed by hand with a special eco-friendly ink. Owner Lisa (Boesch) Wiley explains: “It’s a machine washable textile ink made for screen printing. Unlike most screen printers who use a plastisol ink full of chemicals, we use a water-based ink that is much gentler on the environment.

It’s a little more difficult to work with, but we think the environmental benefits make it worth it!”

ABOUT FACE & SWIG According to National Geographic, as many as 500 million plastic straws are used in America every single day, and as many as 8.3 billion have washed up on beaches around the world. That’s a lot of plastic trash. Fortunately, companies like About Face and Swig have a great solution: eco-friendly, sustainable, insulated cups!

Swig Life Founder Tracee Mathes launched her line of colorful premium drinkware designs in 2017, and the line now features a huge range of dishwasher-safe, spill-resistant, triple-insulated mugs, tumblers, bottles, barware and accessories.

About Face Designs has been offering a wide range of creative gift items since 1998, including reusable, eco-friendly tumblers with straws, mugs and sturdy wine glasses with sassy sayings.

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shoptalk vendors we love

Viv & Lou

This fun, trendy line of bags, accessories and apparel has something for everyone.

love today — as “salt of the earth people” who are “full of life.” They raised Denise in rural South Carolina, where she learned a positive attitude and solid work ethic from her father, a DuPont mechanic, and her mother, who worked at Piggly Wiggly making $6.75 an hour.

“We didn’t have a lot of money,” Denise recalls, “but they really made me who I am, taught me how to treat people and do the right thing.”

It’s little wonder then that many of Viv & Lou’s 75 or so employees have been with the company for a very long time, or that customers tend to stick with the brand. “Once we get a customer on board, we really always try to overachieve for them,” she says.

UNIQUE DESIGNS

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t’s a weekend trip with your girlfriends. It’s a special backpack for your first grader on the first day of school. A stress-free getaway to the beach. A perfect bridesmaids’ gift. It’s trendy, happy and bright.

It’s Viv & Lou. Founder Denise Thigpen started Viv & Lou’s parent company out of the trunk of her car with an investment of only $5,000. Today, the fun line of bags, apparel and accessories is thriving thanks to its winning combination of quality products, reasonable prices and employees who care.

But it’s not just customers who are noticing Viv & Lou’s success. In 2016,

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the business was honored as one of Inc. 5000’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America. That same year, Denise was named South Carolina’s Female Businessperson of the Year.

NAMESAKE VALUES When it came time to name the company, Denise knew she wanted to honor her parents, Vivian and Louis. Moreover, she wanted her business and employees to embody a lot of the same values that her parents instilled in her: working hard, treating people right, maintaining integrity and having fun.

She describes her parents — highschool sweethearts who are still madly in

All of Viv & Lou’s products and patterns are unique because they are designed in house by their own talented design team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (And all products are copyrighted.)

“It’s a group effort too though,” Denise explains. “We have a full marketing product development team as well as our design team, so we work together. We also take advice from our sales reps and customers.”

Even best-selling staples such as the oversized Ultimate Tote — “everybody’s favorite bag” says Denise — get regularly refreshed with new colors and patterns.

Other popular items include beach bags for summer, travel-related spring break accessories, back-to-school backpacks and lunchboxes, and holiday items such as Easter buckets, Halloween totes and Christmas stockings.

WORKING WITH DARRAH Viv & Lou is new to working with Darrah — this show will be their first in Darrah’s showroom on the 18th floor rather than in their own AmericasMart showroom — but Denise says they are already thrilled with the partnership.

“We did our homework,” she says.

“We asked people, and every single person had something positive to say [about Darrah & Co]. That was very important to us. We asked reps, other showrooms, customers. It feels like a good partnership on many levels because we feel like

shoptalk they have the same values as we have within our company — how we treat our employees and our customers and how we operate as a whole.”

Denise was also drawn to Darrah & Co. because of the rep group’s willingness to embrace social media and other modern methods of reaching customers.

Viv & Lou is known for helping customers sell in different ways, such as providing marketing resources such as professional imagery that is sized and ready for social media.

“We really wanted to work with reps that would be willing to learn a new way to help their customers. You really have to be looking at the way things are changing and be a part of it instead of putting your head in the sand, because it’s happening.”

“I’m super excited about 2020,” she says. “Every season, we’re like, ‘Oh, this is the best one yet,’ but this one really is.

It’s a very, very exciting time for us!”

COMPLETE YOUR “LOOK” WITH ACCESSORIES FROM TICKLED PINK

tickledpinkwholesale.com Winter 2020 Darrah & Co.

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OUR

Changing Industry Do you have questions about online wholesale marketplaces? We’ve got answers! Learn more about the perks, perils, pricing and policies of these new platforms.

BY KIMBERLY TURNER

hopping on Amazon instead of at brick-and-mortar stores, watching movies on streaming services rather than at the cinema, getting groceries delivered via Instacart to avoid hitting the supermarket on the way home — technology tempts people to do more and more from behind their keyboards. Now, that disruptor mindset has come to the gift industry.

Several online wholesale marketplaces have launched in recent years, offering retailers the ability to purchase wholesale from websites such as Modmart, Faire and Tundra.

Many shop owners and vendors aren’t yet sure how these companies work, how the sites differ from one another, what kinds of pitfalls they need to watch out for and how their rep and showrooms fit in with these new options. Let’s get some answers…

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for retailers, and the site relies heavily on ranking vendors using machine learning rather than human recommendations.

The leadership team’s lack of experience in the retail and wholesale industry occasionally causes problems for them. For example, when the site first launched, it listed items from sellers’ websites and Etsy profiles and “started taking orders for them without letting them know,” according to founder Max Rhodes. That quickly landed them in hot water with vendors. The company apologized and changed its approach, but this mistake reflects their lack of experience in the industry.

TUNDRA’S MODEL Tundra launched the same year as Faire and has raised $12 million in venture capital. Its founders, the husband-andwife team of Arnold and Annie Kadavy, previously worked in supply chain management and started Tundra to “level the field” between small retailers and big-box chains.

They do this by eliminating commissions and transaction fees and relying, instead, on ad revenue, optional features and services such as expedited shipping and insurance, faster set-up for vendor storefronts and other add-ons. Approved retailers can also take advantage of Net 60 terms and free shipping.

INVESTMENT PRESSURES

FAIRE & SQUARE Faire (formerly known as Indigo Fair) opened in 2017 and is the largest and most successful of the third-party wholesalers. Since its launch, it has raised $226 million in venture capital from Silicon Valley investors.

Its founders come from the tech industry — they worked on popular products like Square and Cash App — and Faire’s design and priorities reflect that background. Data-driven prediction algorithms attempt to suggest products

While there’s no shame in taking investment, it is worth noting that VC-backed companies like Faire and Tundra are expected to grow quickly and maximize profits for their investors. To that end, Faire has already changed from Net 90 terms for approved retailers to Net 60 since its launch. It has also imposed credit limits on retailers, re-ranked products and changed how retailers paid invoices after saying that they were “losing money on every order.”

Building your business on an unestablished platform where the rules can change without warning — or in the case of Etsy Wholesale in 2018, shut down entirely because “demand for wholesale from buyers hasn’t been as strong as we’d hoped” — is a risky proposition. If you choose to use them, these new options

should be one tool in your overall wholesale strategy rather than your entire plan.

After all, you know what they say about eggs and baskets.

TECHNOLOGY + TRADITION A third new player in the wholesale marketplace world is Modmart, which went live in October 2019 and hopes to incorporate intuitive online purchasing into the existing ecosystem of rep groups and tradeshows.

Founder Bill Quinn, a technology expert with gift industry experience, has a better understanding of the benefits of traditional sales options than his competitors. “I have an enormous amount of respect for rep groups and how good reps, if they’re well equipped, really perform. We are a lead-generation engine for rep groups. We are able to find new retailers and get them to purchase the brand, which forwards that information to the rep group so they can go do the face-to-face.”

Quinn says he believes it’s this approach that will help Modmart take on larger competitors such as Faire and Tundra. “We’re going to be a player, and it’s going to be because of the rep groups.” The reps’ knowledge of the market, industry experience and ability to “sniff out new products better than any algorithm” are things he appreciates.

Plus, he says, retailers “are good at picking their own products and good at working with repos. They don’t want an algorithm to choose for them. People buy from people.”

THE REP ADVANTAGE Lindsay DeMyer, Darrah & Co. vice president, notes that the role of a good sales rep goes well beyond just taking orders. “We’re consultants. We tell you what’s hot, what’s not, what’s being re-ordered quickly — not just in your region but from that sales rep’s whole territory and the whole geographic region of the company. We provide personalized customer service. I will unpack boxes. I will come to your open house. I will do your trunk show for you. I will have a relationship with you that goes above and beyond a computer screen interface.”

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For over 30 years, Darrah & Co. has helped retailers choose the best products. No algorithm can compete with that experience and knowledge.

“We may not be able to offer all of the same terms and incentives as these sites, but what we can do is offer personal attention and a human being who cares about your ultimate success. That’s something that we’ve always found value in, and we feel like our customers find value there.”

“We’re your advocate, really, and we’re always going to fight on behalf of our retailers in order to do the right thing for them.” This level of customer service is something that websites alone cannot compete with, which is the advantage that Modmart has over other online wholesale options.

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INFORMED RETAILERS Retailers who choose to do any of their ordering through a third-party wholesale site should be sure that they fully understand the terms, shipping costs and return policies of the site they are using. Also, be aware that, unlike sales reps — who do territory management to ensure that the same products and lines are not represented up and down your street — some sites, such as Tundra, do not geographically restrict purchasing to ensure exclusivity.

Others, such as Faire, only do so if the vendors offer the “Faire Protection” plan on their products.

Alongside the many positive reviews of these sites are reviews claiming that retailers have had significant difficulties with returns, customer service, shipping and charges.

Though it’s difficult to make every single customer happy every time — we all know that bad reviews can happen no matter what you do — it’s worth asking around and talking to any of your peers who may use these sites to get a better sense of their experiences before making the leap. Being well informed is especially important when dealing with an online entity rather than a person you’ve developed a relationship with over time.

PRICE OF EXPOSURE Vendors using these new sites have the advantage of getting their products in front of new potential buyers, but that exposure comes at a price. Faire, for example, charges a 25% commission on first orders and 15% on subsequent orders. Whether that rate is worth it for your brand is something you’ll need to assess based on your company’s margins and priorities.

Flexible return terms, such as Faire’s 60-day returns for first orders, are undoubtedly convenient for retailers but can be challenging for vendors, who may lose control of where their products end up. Faire states that it places returns in the Sale Collections platform. Those not sold within 24 hours are listed individually in the Sample Shoppe resale channel.

In the end, vendors may find that their products have been sold to shops that are not an ideal fit for their brand.

At the same time, vendors are penalized by Faire’s algorithm for returns — regardless of whether the return is due to a poor buying choice on the part of the retailer or a more valid reason such as damage. (Some have also reported that they were charged for damaged goods with no photographic evidence of the damage.) Those who receive numerous returns will find that their products show up lower or less frequently in retailers’ search results.

Vendors also have expressed concerns that their product pages on Faire show suggested similar products that may have lower minimums or prices than their own products. These Amazon-style algorithm-generated suggestions appear near the bottom of every vendor’s page and cannot be removed.

RELATIONSHIPS MATTER Remember that it always pays to build relationships. Do not to expect any outside website to do all of the work for you. Some of the best reviews of these sites are from vendors who say they have put forth the effort to get customers’ information and to build connections with them outside of the confines of the sites’ communication platforms. (Though it should be noted that Faire forbids verbal communication between vendors and retailers.)

“I will unpack boxes. I will come to your open house. I will do your trunk show for you. I will have a relationship with you that goes above and beyond a computer screen interface.”

—LINDSAY DARRAH DEMYER Suggestions range from putting personal thank-you notes in boxes with orders, including your shop info and website, to gathering emails and messaging when you have new products or upcoming holiday deadlines.

One vendor explained how building relationships benefited him directly: “Something else to watch out for on Faire: currents stockists finding you on Faire and placing orders there out of convenience (you ending up paying the 15% on a store you already work with). I reached out to Faire to see if we could get 0% commission on that store (as a part of their Elevate program, which promises 0% commission on stockists you bring to the platform). They said yes. Then they backtracked and said they would need a spreadsheet of all our current stockists, so they could send them a message (from our brand) to invite them to Faire. It felt like they were holding my stockist hostage to get access to all of our other stockists. I canceled the order, contacted the store, explained the situation, and they ended up re-placing the order through our 0% commission link. It definitely paid off to have a good relationship with this store already.”

that this new model could not only negatively impact reps and showrooms, but also vendors.

“Vendors are giving this new model their account lists and their products to sell, which will enable them to crunch data from multiple companies, and they will know everything… Could they expand someday into a product development company? In the early years of Amazon, everyone laughed at the possibility that Amazon would someday take their data and knock off people’s products. They are doing that today across many industries.”

Of course, this menacing prediction is only one possible outcome at this point, but Eller says that if he is correct, the technology could “destroy the vendor industry across the United States.” He encourages people to “think about all possible outcomes, both positive and negative” because “we failed to do that by not aggressively supporting our retailer base when they were first attacked by big tech. Are we going to ignore, once again, the possibility that the vendors of our industry could be ravaged just as badly as our retailers were?”

CONSPIRACY THEORY OR VALID CONCERN?

Ultimately, there are both positives and negatives for retailers and vendors who are considering making any of these platforms part of their overall business strategy. The vital message is to make sure you are informed about the pros and cons of each option. The team at Darrah & Co. is also always here for you to answer any questions you may have about online ordering, working with these new sites or how to grow your business.

This cautionary tale also demonstrates the importance of using discretion when deciding who to refer to your online wholesaler (if you have one). Also consider who you want to share your data with.

Industry veteran and consultant Randy Eller recently wrote about an ominous possibility in the September/ October 2019 issue of Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine. He hypothesizes

WE CAN HELP!

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Kids Stuff Selling children’s products will be as easy as child’s play with these tips from and for retailers.

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n the U.S., more than 16,000 clothing stores for babies and children bring in $10 billion in revenue annually and employ more than 74,000 people, according to IBISWorld.

If you want to compete in this crowded market, you’ll need to stand out.

Whether you’re targeting grandparents, parents or older children, you can succeed in the exciting world of kids retail with these helpful tips from shop owners who have been in the industry for decades.

GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS. As with any type of boutique, kids retailers need to get familiar with their customer base to figure out what kinds of products they want to see in the store.

“We know our customers’ likes and dislikes,” says Linda Boulware, owner of Markel’s Card & Gift Shop in Bluffton, South Carolina, which has been open for 22 years. “We are in a unique situation here because we’re in a big retirement area, and the customers come to us because we have more traditional baby gifts.”

Boulware says her customers are mostly grandmothers looking for religious items or classic gifts, such as piggy banks, picture frames and books like Goodnight Moon or the Little Golden Books.

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Corinne Strubel allows young shoppers to be hands-on in her store, The Paper Merchant.

“It’s not a museum. The kids come in, look and see what they like. When they can’t touch it, they don’t want it.”

When customers walk into her store, Boulware engages them in conversation.

She asks if the grandchild is a boy or a girl and what occasion they are celebrating.

“We have a lot of repeat customers who come in, and they know that baby station like the back of their hand. They go directly to what they want. If we get something new, we show it to them. Our customers like to browse and not be pressured into a sale.”

Boulware pays attention to customers’ reactions when they are browsing and recommends that you do the same. “Be aware of your customer. We watch our customers all the time. They’re being left alone to do their thing, but we see what they gravitate towards, and we watch their facial expressions. They might look at a new item and not know what it’s for.

A grandmother may be out of the loop about what baby items are popular. You tell customers what the item is and they say, ‘Oh, that’s a great idea.’”

ORGANIZE THE STORE

BY AGE GROUP. When customers enter a store, they don’t want to feel overwhelmed. If they have kids or grandkids with them, they want the shopping experience to be as simple and pleasurable as possible.

Stores organized by age group help give customers that positive experience.

Nana’s – A Children’s Shop located in Venice, Florida, does just that. Sabine Hack-Roberts has run the business for 17 years. She puts gifts for older children up front, toddler merchandise in one corner and baby gifts in a separate area.

“When you have the baby things in the front, customers will walk in and think you’re just a store for babies,” she says.

“I wanted to make sure the toys for the older kids were in the front so we could show the store is not just for babies, but for older siblings as well.”

To make it even easier for parents to shop, Roberts set up a little play table for

Photo courtesy of Corinne Strubel.

BY KYLIE ORA LOBELL

Linda Boulware of Markel’s Cards & Gifts offers free gift-wrapping, complete with handmade bows.

children. If a busy mom comes in, two employees will watch over the children so their mother can shop.

LET KIDS GET THEIR HANDS ON THE PRODUCTS.

Photos courtesy of Linda Boulware and Corinne Strubel.

Kids want to touch, feel and play with products made for them. Putting delicate items on higher shelves and letting children handle merchandise is critical.

“We allow them to play with things,” says Corinne Strubel, owner of The Paper Merchant, which has two locations in North Naples and South Naples, Florida, and has been around since 1976. “We try to make it handson. You do have to hover a bit. If we see some kid grabbing a porcelain tea set, we suggest that they play with the metal one instead.”

SHOWCASE PRODUCTS IN FUN WAYS. In a boutique store for adults, shop owners may try to make the place look professional and classy. A children’s store, on the other hand, should be a fun environment where kids are excited to shop with their parents and grandparents.

To liven up The Paper Merchant, Strubel sets up special displays for

At The Paper Merchant, Corinne Strubel thinks of fun themes for her displays, like the circus.

products. For instance, she bought a circus tent for $20 at IKEA and put products inside of it. She also created a summer-themed display using a beach cabana she found.

Strubel also uses children’s furniture, like armoires, and decorates them with lamps and stuffed animals to make the store look more like a child’s bedroom.

“You don’t want it to be stuffy,” says Strubel. “You want the store to be inviting. It’s not a museum. The kids come in, look and see what they like.

When they can’t touch it, they don’t want it.”

WRAP AND SHIP GIFTS FOR CUSTOMERS. Since shoppers at many kids’ stores are looking for gifts for children and grandchildren, shop owners will really benefit from offering complimentary gift-wrapping.

At The Paper Merchant, “every single item is gift-wrapped,” says Strubel.

Boulware’s store specializes in beautiful handmade bows. “We have free gift-wrapping, and we are noted for it.

We have been in business for 22 years, and our bows are legendary.”

You should also consider offering shipping. These days, many families are

spread out, living in different parts of the world, so providing a service to easily send gifts from your store will give you a competitive edge.

“We ship our merchandise, which is an added convenience, especially with so many grandparents down here who have grandkids all over the country,” says Boulware.

FIND UNIQUE PRODUCTS. Customers can find kids’ products in bigbox retail stores like Target and Walmart or online. To keep up with the competition, boutique children’s stores need to find interesting products that cannot be purchased elsewhere.

“We try to find really unique things,” says Hack-Roberts. “We are constantly bringing in new items.”

Strubel says she will offer a few trendy items in her stores, but they won’t be the focus. Instead, she’ll showcase a good mix of products that appeal to her customers.

“They aren’t going to buy the llama pillow. They will buy the bunny rabbit or maybe the unicorn pillow. I don’t have things that you could find at Target, HomeGoods or Marshalls. Customers want something different that they won’t find anywhere else.”

Winter 2020 Darrah & Co.

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