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The Gifted Retailer

GDA Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 10/11/2011 10:00:26 AM

Inspiring women and giving them a place to shop and dream is just one of the things that Missi LeFave, owner of How Cute Is That in Alpena, MI, loves about being a retailer.

Gifts & Decorative Accessories: What do you like best about being a retailer? How Cute Is That
Missi LeFave: The best thing about being a retailer for me is being able to give women a place to enjoy, shop, dream and be inspired with my products and displays. Creating inspiring displays in my store and having customers rave over them keeps me excited. A customer recently said my store reminded her of a favorite shop she visits in Soho, New York. Wow! I was beaming to say the least!

G&DA: What was the most valuable piece of business advice that you ever received?
ML:I would say to always be over the top. And that goes for displays as well as customer service. Customers need to be "wow"ed...and impressed! There is so much discounting and priceslashing that we need to be extraordinary to stand out.

G&DA: What is/was your most successful promotion?
ML: Since we are just about to celebrate our first birthday I would have to say our grand opening event. We had been creating buzz for over a month. Formal invitations went out. Then the paper came off the windows. We had doorman at How Cute Is That each door, served beverages and hors d'oeuvres and from 5-8 p.m. we sold 10% of our inventory!

G&DA: What three products/lines are you best sellers?
ML: Accessories are super hot for us. Scarves, hats, jewelry as well as unique wall art are customer favorites. I try to find items that have a little more bling and attitude, hence our tagline "Sassy, Chic Boutique".

G&DA: What are you doing to attract new customers?
ML: We use social media, Facebook and emails. We also cross-promote from my first store, The Marketplace, which is just two doors down the street. It has been opened for five years with an already great customer base. In addition, we are in the process of a direct mail campaign for our area.

G&DA: What was your most effective display?
ML: I love my front windows. They are two great spaces to show off what's new and entice people to have to see what more is inside. We use several mannaquins that we dress over the top to show edgy looks. howcuteisthat4

G&DA: How do you find your best employees?
ML: Actually customers who adore the store make some of the best employees. Let's be serious, an employee who has a hard time keeping her paycheck from going right back into the till is an employee I want. They can't help but give amazing customer service when they love the products that much!

G&DA: What was your biggest retail problem and how did you solve it?
ML: Right now it is trying to increase traffic to our e-commerce site. This is my first shop using a shopping cart site and it is quite challenging. When you want to find something online it is so easy. However, when you want to be found online it is a totally different story.

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