The Gifted Retailer: Past & Presents
GDA Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 2/17/2011 9:51:57 AM
Mother and daughter Pat Coleman and Melinda Gibson run Past & Presents in Lenexa, KS, together. For 22 years, these retailers have built friendships with their customers and have found themselves to be mentors to the young staffers.
Gifts & Decorative Accessories: What do you like best about being a retailer?
Pat Coleman: The planning and excitement of preparing for the seasons is one of the things I look forward to the most. The interaction with our customers and the friendships that have come out of 22 years of business is very rewarding. I originally got into retail to provide outstanding customer service that I felt was lacking in so many retail environments. Today, we pride ourselves on the personal level of service we provide and have ongoing training to meet our standards. Another rewarding aspect has been the ability to be a mentor to many young people entering the business or retail world.
Melinda Gibson: For me, it is the creativity and anticipation of new things that I am able to bring together to give our customers a fun, inspiring, and interesting place to shop. Mixing colors, textures and different products to create displays that really catch someone's attention makes my job so much fun. Hearing and seeing people's reactions is also rewarding. The most important step I take with the displays is to keep the product fresh by changing the displays at least every few weeks. Things are always on a rotation to recreate different looks and themes by combining newer product with existing. It really makes the store look new and fresh each time a customer shops.
G&DA: What was the most valuable piece of business advice that you ever received?
PC: From my mother several years ago, she said "You cannot sell from an empty wagon." And that is so true. Having a well stocked store sets us apart from many retailers. New merchandise and maintaining displays to create a different look each time customers come in has been key to our success. Even if we do not have new product in, just moving displays or remerchandising can rejuvenate older product.
G&DA: What is/was your most successful promotion?
PC: One of our most recent successes was achieved with a Vera Bradley product launch by hosting a 7 a.m. Breakfast On The Go, which to our surprise sparked great attendance. The highlight for us was a line at the door before we opened of over 30 people in addition to a school bus of moms and daughters. By the end of the hour-long event, we had over 100 customers in to shop the new Vera Bradley. It was great fun for everyone.
MG: Beside the traditional Holiday Open Houses in fourth quarter, our Ladies Night Out events are well attended. We hold two events each year and consist of an after hours event with pariffin hand treatments, gourmet appetizers featuring some of our food lines and recipes, special discounts or promotion, giveaways at the door, and just a fun evening of shopping. These are just a few of our many in-store events that we do to generate excitement.
G&DA: What three products/lines are you best sellers?
MG: Vera Bradley is an amazing line for us and we really pride ourselves on our presentation and selection. Over the years we have expanded our department to provide our customers with the complete selection including the special collections and in-store promotions. Once again, a well maintained department is essential to the success throughout our store. Brighton Jewelry is another line that we have been very successfull with. Our display is easy to shop, fully stocked and always featuring new and exciting styles and collections. Seasonal product is another key category for us and a few of the bigger lines include: RAZ Imports, tag, Sullivans and Melrose provide our customers with many options. Especially when it comes to Christmas and holiday decorations, we feel we offer an amazing selection of tree decor, ornaments, floral and gift ideas.
G&DA: What are you doing to attract new customers?
MG: Social networking allows us to attract many new customers with little cost. We are online at www.pastandpresentskc.com for information and promotions. We also currently rely on word of mouth. After 22 years in business, our reputation within the area speaks well for us and creates a buzz among shoppers. We have just opened a second location in a newly developing area and that has been a little more challenging to attract new customers in the door. We have done some general mailings and print ads. Our next step is to get involved with the local schools and teachers to help gain new interest. Overall, attracting new customers is probably our biggest challenge. In the past we have relied heavily on direct mail which works well for us. This includes a quarterly newsletter and postcards which we send out to over 10,000 current customers.
G&DA: What was your most effective display?
MG: Cross merchandising by theme or color and incorporating some unusual items for interests. It is always fun for me when I am buying to try to bring together several companies to create one major look. The trick always seems to be getting it in the store on time and with all the major components. My favorite time of year to display is for Christmas. We have eight or more themed trees each season, each one decorated over the top and with major visual impact. We also are known in the area for our decorated store front and display windows. We have three window vignettes that allow us to feature different looks throughout the season and always attracts drive by traffic to get a sneak peak of what we have inside.
G&DA: How do you find your best employees?
PC: Most of our employees are our customers. To notify them of openings, we utilize Facebook and email. Local high schools provide our evening and weekend staff. Many young ladies are attracted to our Vera Bradley department and are so excited at the opportunity to sell Vera Bradley.
G&DA: What was your biggest retail problem and how did you solve it?
MG: We have been in our current location 11 years. Prior to that, we were located in the same shopping center but felt we had poor visibility and lacked sufficient parking. When a larger business closed, we were given the opportunity to relocate next door to a major grocery store. The move was a lot of work, but proved to be very beneficial. We increased our space to 6,000 square feet and gained much better traffic flow and visibility to the major intersection.
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Brad Cecil - 2011-02-17 13:27:55 EST-
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