Rethinking Space

What do you do when you're all but boxed in? Apple Annie's, a 2,900-square-foot gift store in Hurst, Texas, faced that question when seeking to grow its business within a space that hadn't gotten any larger since the store opened in 1991. With a product mix that includes framed prints, architectural pieces, decorative plates and holders, crosses, clocks, tapestries, and planters, owner Linda Conway was hard-pressed to create innovative display areas that would allow her to squeeze everything in.

Merchandising so much wall decor posed an obvious problem — finding enough wall space. Conway partially solved the problem by thinking inside the box. First, she repositioned display units that stood against the walls so that they were perpendicular to the walls. Units with unfinished backs were butted up to each other. In another part of the store, she hinged together weathered doors creating a trendy, shabby-chic backdrop from which to display more wall art. As a result, Linda Conway reclaimed 108 square feet of surface to adorn with hangable merchandise.

Conway also wanted to make use of the margins of her interior space — above and below. She started by suspending trim moldings, a trellis, and other display props from the ceiling, allowing her to hang merchandise above head level. Elsewhere, tall vignettes were built on tabletops by stacking display pieces to elevate merchandise. The space under the tables was used to showcase larger items, offering an eye-catching floor-to-ceiling merchandising plan.

At the store's entrance, a wooden garden arbor provides a focal point that is perfect for showcasing holiday merchandise year-round. A home entertainment unit displays decorative accessories as it adds to the store's ambience. Two large lighted glass-and-metal cabinets showcase jewelry, and a sofa table behind them creates a backdrop as well as additional display space. An electrical cord had to be dropped from the ceiling to power the lights, so Linda disguised it by wrapping the cord in floral garland transforming a liability into a great atmospheric asset.

In all, Linda Conway added about 259 cubic feet of display space, and dramatically increased sales of tabletop items such as lamps, potpourri, linens, dishware, and florals. Despite the challenging economy, Apple Annie's has held its own over the last couple of years, aided by an increase in the store's number of registered customers, which has more than doubled, from 3,000 to almost 8,000. Now that's a bountiful harvest.