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The Gifted Retailer

GDA Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 1/27/2012 10:23:43 AM

Sesame Street's grocer Mr. Hooper was Daisy's owner Barbara Mooney's favorite character growing up, and inspired this Alameda, CA, store owner to open her own shop years later.

Gifts and Decorative Accessories: What do you like best about being a retailer? Daisy
Barbara Mooney: I was asked this several years back and my answer remains the same. I am a child of Sesame Street and Mr. Hooper was one of my favorites. He was there to sell you something if you needed it, to listen if that is all you needed that day and to be one of the people in the neighborhood. Even on my bad days I just can't figure out what I would choose to do that would be less of a "job" than this.

GDA: What was the most valuable piece of business advice that you ever received?
BM: I don't know if it was direct advice, but I grew up working in family businesses, my family's business and two others. Watching the owners constantly think on their feet and making the best use of everyone's time. It all comes down to what goes in the register and what goes out. It also means you really have to love what you do because you are going to spend much more time doing it than a traditional job. My first job was when I was 12 so I have had many years of education in this.

GDA: What is/was your most successful promotion?
BM: Donating to school auctions. It is so much better for me than print advertising. I look at each one like an ad. I tell them that I am willing to donate a basket as long as the basket remains intact and that they don't add to it or move something to another basket. I make it splashy so everyone sees it and talks about it. More people come in and thank me for caring Daisy about their child's school than ever comment on an ad.

GDA: What three products/lines are you best sellers?
BM: Butter Nail Polish, Dash & Albert Rugs and interesting objects. I love how the first two are so different in their universes, it just goes to show that you need to go with your gut. The third one isn't a brand, it is deciding to carry things that you aren't going to bring in 10 of, but do the work to scout out five different ones and bring in two of each. My customers just love that I find interesting objets d'art or jewelry that I don't sell in mass. It makes it much more special. I sell lots of things like that from Go Home, Cody Foster, HomArt, etc. Don't forget the customer looking for a special object also likes to wear Silver Seasons jewelry or Joli jewelry. I can't tell you how many sales have both those categories on one receipt.

GDA: What are you doing to attract new customers? Daisy
BM: Contests in my newsletters, changing the windows and outdoor vignettes often so that it is eye-catching. Of course the best is word of mouth, which means every person that walks through your door is your best way to get new customers. When someone comes in and introduces you to a friend they were so excited to show the store off to, that is a person you are in debt to so treat them that way. I keep special little gifts around and always make sure that person gets that or a quick postcard with a word of thanks.

GDA: What was your most effective display?
BM: I don't do display racks. Creating displays out of objects is so challenging and so much fun. I am famous for my stationery room and how it is displayed by color. It sells so many products because customers see things they didn't even know they were looking for.

GDA: How do you find your best employees?
BM: Most of the time they are customers. I approach them. I have done this five times and four of the times it has worked out better than I ever thought. Most of them have been around for three years or more.

GDA: What was your biggest retail problem and how did you solve it?
BM: Is there a way to work less than 60+ hours a week? I haven't found it and most of the time I don't mind it, and with the addition of a second store I am headed in the wrong direction. That being said, I couldn't be happier. I guess the way I solved mine was to be married to someone who loved me enough to always pitch in and keep my days Daisy from getting longer.

GDA: How is the current economy affecting your business? What advice would you give to a struggling retailer?
BM: In 2009 when things were grim, I got fortunate on the misfortune of the other home accents store in town. It closed in May and those customers found me over the summer so my holiday was good. I wrote out a plan over that summer on where I wanted the store to be and what I didn't want it to be. Knowing what you don't want really helps define what you want. The economy is changing everyday and you can't let it define you. Stay focused on having a gift in every price range and making being in your shop fun. If you are struggling don't let it show to your customers, you don't have to be over the top with enthusiasm but you can't be Debbie Downer. One last piece of advice, move your merchandise around constantly. I can't tell you how many people think items are new that I have had a while.

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