Where do you keep inventory not on display? Do you have enough in-store space?

When my dad and I designed our shelving and display fixtures, we built in storage at the base of each fixture. The units are seven feet wide by six feet tall, and the bottom two feet are four closed doors. We were also lucky enough in our lease to get a full basement under our shop. That's about 1,200 square feet of dry, useful space. Not everybody has that; most of the stores here don't have dry basements. We need a lot of storage because we put out singles of most things, and don't stack a bunch of stuff deep on the shelves. We have a lot of back stock. It's a more “gallery-esque” approach, displaying each item out of the box as its own art piece. That way, we can make vignettes without worrying about ugly boxes. We get the box for customers if they ask for it. It's not exactly self-service, but the store is small enough that it works.

I store things in an extra room on my [beauty] salon side. It was intended as an office, but I didn't need one because I use my desk. What's in there is new Christmas and other seasonal merchandise, plus what we didn't clear out from last Christmas, as well as things we use for displays. I have adequate space because we don't store much. We never hold anything back, it's all out on the floor. Also, my store has so many levels that when I have a dozen of something, I can disperse it. There's so much to see that if you don't notice it on the first floor, you might on the second. Anything that doesn't move, we put on clearance. As much as possible, I try not to store. If I need fill-ins, I go to Manhattan, auction houses, or warehouses of Indonesian imports, and do a cash-and-carry deal.

What a day for you to call and ask that! I just got in about 15 boxes of Department 56 for Christmas. They're in the garage. Fortunately, I have one of those behind the store, so that's where I keep seasonal [merchandise]. We can keep boxes that go with product that's on the floor as well as stuff that's waiting to go out. We've been getting Christmas in since last March. Items are received, marked, repackaged, and put out in the garage to wait. Except for products like candles, food items, and glassware: they are kept in a back room within the store because it is temperature-controlled. I'm lucky. We have the luxury of being able to take product early because we have a place to store it, and don't have to pay any extra since we own the building. If we were in a mall, it would be tough.