Midwest Mosaic

Color and clutter are two of the first words that come to mind at the first sight of the merchandise displays at Inside-Out, a unique 875-square-foot store in Racine, Wisconsin. On closer look, however, one quickly detects that the origins of this display style lie in the bazaars of Morocco or the street markets of Mexico. That's because Inside-Out's owner, Jane Key, sources many of her "Worldly Treasures for Home & Life Style" in these countries, and adapts the merchandising techniques she finds abroad to appeal to customers in this town on the shores of Lake Michigan, midway between Milwaukee and Chicago.

Shelving and display cases are painted chartreuse, turquoise, and purple; and wall panels and latticework in bright yellow, lime green, and pink serve as backdrops to a wide range of earthenware, ceramic, wood, paper, glass, and plastic products, many of which come in bright colors themselves. No surface goes unadorned. Pink flamingoes perch on the floor and on shelves, rolled up multi-colored mats are displayed in a galvanized steel garbage can, ethnic masks hang from the walls, jewelry is pinned to black velvet surrounded by an ornate gold frame. The whole concept invites customers to touch, examine, and certainly to linger. And that's just the Inside of Inside-Out. What about the Out?

Inside-Out, which opened in 1996, is located on Racine's Main Street, which also serves as a state highway. "We are on a very bland block in a very conservative city," says Jane. "How do we get customers to stop?"

To stop traffic, Jane uses two design techniques: a brightly colored storefront and knockout window displays. Two carved columns from Mexico were painted blue, yellow, green, and pink. The columns frame the window and serve as beacons attracting passersby not familiar with Inside-Out. And those who do know about the store are drawn back again and again by the clever window displays.

The displays, which Jane changes every two to three weeks, often feature the store's unofficial mascots: Ricardo, a papier-mache pig, and Carmen, a full-size papier-mache heifer from Tonolla, Mexico. One vignette showcased Ricardo and Carmen sheltered by pink umbrellas. Carmen had a bouquet of paper flowers tucked behind her ear and a pink shawl draped over her back. Colorful Styrofoam "noodles" (the kind used in swimming pools and at the beach) and a pair of orange, yellow, and green children's rain boots completed the eye-catching display.

Another display featured Carmen and Ricardo in an Asian theme. The two wore Chinese scholar skullcaps, and paper dragons and colorful lanterns hung from the ceiling. Asian calligraphy signs on the window glass spelled out "Happy New Year." (Inside-Out also holds an annual Chinese New Year promotion in which a Chinese drumming team blesses the store. According to tradition, Jane places $50 in an envelope hidden in a head of lettuce. A Chinese "lion" then comes into the store, finds the lettuce head, shreds it, and retrieves the money. The lettuce leaves are left where they lie for a few days, "for luck.")

One Christmas window featured a Santa Claus figure riding a bicycle with moving wheels (any display with motion is an automatic attention-grabber). The bicycle was "pulling" a colorful Puerto Rican cart, stuffed with wrapped presents and topped off by Ricardo sporting red antlers and a "jingle bells" collar. This year, Jane plans to have Santa wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

Jane applies as much thought to her advertising as she does to her visual merchandising. For ads in local newspapers, she prefers image advertisements rather than product shots. One partial-page advertisement is dominated by a photo of Jane riding a camel in Morocco. The text mentions only the store name, address, and phone number. Another ad features Carmen wearing a green tam, a "Kiss me, I'm Irish" logo, and the words, "Lots of Stuff Arriving Daily." Her philosophy is that if people see the name of the store often enough, they'll think of it when they need something.

To source all that "stuff," Jane shops the gift shows in Chicago, Dallas, and New York twice a year. African traders also visit Racine, and Jane tries to make an annual sojourn to Mexico, as well as periodic visits to Morocco. Her buying philosophy is, "Even if I don't have the money, and I see a once-in-a-lifetime item, I buy it."

And then she displays it.