Selling Gifts at Variety and General Stores, and the Latest Decorative Signage Trends

Haley Murphy, manager at the Paint Bank General Store located in Paint Bank, Va., finds that any gift associated with the experiences offered in the area fly off the shelves.

Gifts embellished with the store’s logo sell first in their 2,500-square-feet of retail space. These logos are painted onto various souvenir-type items like coffee mugs, shot glasses, mamma and pappa bear water bottles, totes and backpacks. Items that remind shoppers of their experience in the area like glamping tent Christmas ornaments or magnets also go over well.

Older nostalgic items you can’t get elsewhere are also a hit. For instance, they sell a lot of old train whistles because there used to be a train depot in the area.

People come from a fair distance along a winding road to find them. They’re a one-hour drive from the closest town of Roanoke, Va. “People want to have something that’s significant to where they visited,” Murphy said.

In terms of new gifts at Paint Bank, they re-order gifts from tried-and-true lines like their Silver Forest jewelry line, which has been a top seller for the past eight years.

But first and foremost, what they look for are items that facilitate what people come to the area for: family fun away from the city. This includes puzzles handmade by a local artist (featuring the buffalo farm in the area) and Red Neck six packs, which contain two RC Cola and a Moon Pie.

“We wanted to gear all of what we do to make people feel like they’re cozy and comfy and having a good time with family,” Murphy said.

At the 16,000-square-foot Liberty & Vine Country store in Billings, Mont., having a good mix of price points and a fully stocked store has helped them grow, said Co-Owner Amy Pawlowski “We generate sales from the customer ‘who is just looking’ and ends up purchasing an impulse item or two and we also generate more sales from people who are looking for specific items and find our shelves fully stocked with choices,” Pawlowski said.

At Liberty & Vine, their Made in the USA products are currently their best-sellers, said Pawlowski. “We’ve had very little supply issues with USA manufactured goods and we’ve also learned our customers are seeking out more USA made goods,” said Pawlowski. “USA made goods are feel-good purchases!”

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