Smoky Mountain Gift Show Section

Getting a Read (From page 64)

Champion sweatshirt in silver with ‘Middlebury’ across the chest; we also do great with a sweatshirt from Gear that comes in navy blue, and it also has our name on the chest. The kids up here really enjoy the core basic items. The fashion-skewed items just don’t sell as well or as consistently and quickly.” That said, Jones related physically in the store. Online, we do well with our cufflinks for men and a pendant for women that features the Middlebury shield.”

Selling more of either apparel or jewelry in the 1,000-square-foot shop and online depends on “social media first,” she said. “The second-best hook is having strong displays for apparel in the store. We sometimes cross-merchandise with other items from throughout the store.” Jones explained that “We have a couple display areas in the front of the store where I will have a mix of merchandise. You’ll see right off the bat when you come in everything we have, for example, I’ll place clothing items as an outfit with winterwear, with notebooks, and a backpack so you see it all. We also display within the clothing section.” that “We try to bring in some of the fashion- forward silhouettes you’d see in regular retail, however. A couple of years ago, when the exposed shoulder tops were popular you saw a lot of that here. Right now, we are seeing cropped T-shirts onboard for women.”

Most jewelry items are drop-shipped through the college store website, Jones said. “We don’t have it

Jones’ primary shopping demographic for apparel and jewelry is “mainly students, but parents come in second and alumni third. We try to have the gamut of different logos and styles available to reach all these audiences, but other than that, we don’t do anything special.”

At Seattle University in Seattle, Wash., store Manager

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