Taking Stock

When Susan Peltier opened her 3,000-square-foot store, Fête, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, almost five years ago, she had in mind a tabletop shop specializing in essentials for entertaining, with an emphasis on handmade pieces from regional and national artists. Her criterion for success was just as specific: she wanted to make $500,000 a year.

“In my mind, that was the number that would turn it from a little shop to a proven retail concept that could be duplicated,” she explains.

In 2001, Fête’s sales were $140,000 and by 2003, they reached $248,000. Year 2004 was to be break-even, with planned sales of $300,000. But by June, it was clear Fête wouldn’t hit its goal, forcing Peltier to re-examine every aspect of her business, taking stock of strengths and weaknesses.

While she realized she’d made some mistakes, including an over-emphasis on dishes and dinnerware, Fête’s retail concept was sound. “The bottom line was that we had a great store, but we hadn’t done a good job letting people know about it,” Susan says.

The store’s name was one issue. Not only hard to pronounce, “Fête” didn’t automatically conjure a mix of serveware, tabletop, custom stationery, and other essentials for entertaining. And the store’s location — an historic downtown district newly renovated as a haven for retail, restaurants, and service businesses — didn’t help. Locals still recalled the bad old days of bars, porn shops, and homeless people sleeping in neighborhood doorways.

“Despite marketing efforts, the perception was more difficult to dispel than I’d imagined,” says Peltier. “Our penetration into the local market lagged behind our expectations.”

Having spent over $50,000 in advertising in Fête’s first three years and not achieving expected sales volume, Peltier had “no more money to throw at the endeavor.” To raise capital, she looked for an investor, selling a 20 percent stake in her business. With this infusion of cash, she and new partner Marcia Hise decided they needed a concentrated marketing effort focused on building brand awareness, increasing local penetration, and developing bridal business.

“It was time to turn our marketing over to professionals, even if it cost us more than we could really afford,” notes Peltier. In 2004, they chose Arketype, a Green Bay company with an emphasis on great design. Arketype offered Peltier five different concepts to choose from.

Jim Rivett, Arketype’s creative director, explains what inspired Fête’s new signature. “Their store is eclectic. It’s got a retro feel, but with an edge. We wanted to do 'June Cleaver in the future.’ We worked with the color so that it wasn’t so vintage. It had a good balance of everything: hip but not too irreverent, allowing the campaign to be humorous and playful, not wrapped up in photorealistic representations of product, but more an expression of a sensibility, an attitude. That also expresses Susan’s eclectic perspective on entertaining, and on retail.”

Three billboards were placed for the months of November and December 2004. And in a really clever move, the billboards were rotated to different locations each month, giving the perception that Fête had many billboards in the Green Bay area. A few customers even drove directly to the store after spotting the boards.

While the 'June Cleaver’ image appeared on all boards, the design and color palette changed each month. Identical postcards were used as direct mailers and coupons, and the artwork was also used for magazine and newspaper ads.

A bridal brochure featuring a similar design sensibility highlighted Fête’s registry, event planning, special order, and other bridal services. It serves as both a handout at bridal shows and a direct mail piece.

As a result of their promotion efforts, combined November and December sales were up 10 percent, and Fête ended 2004 up 5.4 percent. Transaction count increased 31 percent in December, reversing an 11-month trend. The bridal brochure “helped us contact more brides,” says Peltier. “And we’re seeing nice results in custom stationery and registry.”

Keeping a clear eye on the goal, seeking expert help, taking risks, and building a strong, consistent brand are among the reasons Gifts & Decorative Accessories selected Fête as a 2005 REA Gold Award winner for Promotion.