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Stationery is a tough display category for any store. After all, it's really just a bunch of rectangles and squares, and you're expected to make them look interesting and exciting. Ugh. Making stationery look good is like making pegboard elegant. Still, it is possible to inject fun into stationery displays.

Have you ever walked into a store and there was so much happening visually that all you could focus on was whatever was right in front of you? To process all the visuals, you have to stop looking and go into a narrow focus. Store design needs to be easily comprehensible. In the case of stationery, displays that use geometric forms are simple to read, process, and understand. And that makes your store easier to shop.

But what is geometric store design? It is the process of taking small geometric items and grouping them into larger geometric displays. First, isolate a visual style (i.e. photographs), a lifestyle trend (gay, single, ethnic), or an occasion (birthday, wedding), and pull together all the merchandise that fits the grouping. You might want to mix individual cards with boxed goods. Depending on your wall fixtures, you might be able to create a combination display using both cards and boxes. If you have slatwall, use Lucite fixtures that hold two or three boxes of stationery on the card wall to break up the flat plane created by individual cards.

You can also separate the groups by using either a wall break or space between the merchandise, or differentiate them by use of color. If you want to — and can — try painting your walls and fixtures. You can really have fun creating different merchandise areas. Once you identify where you want to put each category, pick out a color palette that complements the rest of your store. One idea is to use different shades of one color around your stationery area. For example, orange is lovely when blocked out in bold peach, terra-cotta, ochre, and soft peach variations.

There are several wonderful ways to create wall breaks that won't break the bank. Sintra board is a 4' x 8' material used by sign makers. Rigid and colorful, Sintra can be cut into any shape and attached to your walls to create interesting wall breaks that won't fade out. Create an 8' long by 16" wide section that attaches to your wall or slatwall with small L-brackets. It's a terrific way to organize your walls with great color.

When creating a geometric space for your displays, try to make them very angular and interesting. Displays in your stationery store or area will work well on top of the geometric product arrangements, in-between product groups, or smack dab inside the grouping. These small displays will inject energy into the "squareness" of your space.

Boutiquing stationery is much like boutiquing gifts. Pull together an odd number of pieces that work together visually. You want colors that complement each other and visuals that make sense as a group.

Props for these displays can be simple. An $8 mailbox from your local home improvement store will sit on a shelf, and once you pull up that red flag and open the door you'll have an inviting display of "mail." To spice it up, have someone with talent paint the box creatively.

For another display, find an inexpensive bamboo rake, and Velcro the broom onto the wall either tines up or facing down. Weave some cards into the tines. Remember, it's not about the quantity of cards — it's about the fun of an unexpected object in your store. If the handle is too long, cut it shorter. Or you can cut a notch into the handle and fan cards out in the notch.

Another odd prop idea is to use old shoes as a container for cards and boxes. You're going to paint these shoes, and that should kill any lingering odors. Don't worry about the time that it will take, because it's easier than you think. Just spread out newspaper in back of your store, then break out a small container of latex paint and a cheap brush and go to town. If you paint three shoes and glue them in a pile, the display becomes more interesting.

Once you break your stationery area or store into geometric sections your customers will be able to see where they want to go and be attracted to colors and styles that they may not have noticed before. Wall breaks will help define your sections while creative displays are the icing on the cake. Though each of these ideas requires time, energy and effort, each one will improve your sales almost immediately.