Spring 2010

Glowing Displays By Cynthia Sutton Stolle

Make sure to use candles to accent lifestyle and tabletop displays. Show off your candlesticks and candleholders. Customers looking for candles end up adding candlesticks; customers looking for candleholders usually add the candles. It’s a win-win sale for your store!

Some decorative, scented candles recommend following their color/scent scheme—follow it, it works. This is usually true for brands such as Root and Yankee that spend a great deal of time designing a plan-o-gram that works for their customers. It’s a look based on colors and scents that work together.

If you feature a brand like Voluspa, the display can be a bit more of a challenge. We sell the three-wick tins the best. They are large and don’t stack especially well. We recently created a tabletop using tulle that matched the brightly colored tins. It gave customers the color and scent story in a festive tabletop display.

We always feature candles with our tabletop displays. This works especially well for brides who want to create romantic settings but aren’t quite sure how.

We have found candles displayed in a home setting gives customers ideas on ways they can redo their homes without a great deal of expense. We use unique, non-traditional display ideas such as condiment servers filled with coffee beans. Three matching pillars complete the display. Light a candle every day. The tester is a good investment. We find customers asking what scent we are burning and they end up buying it.

Learn if your tapers drip. If so, carry candlesticks that will catch the overflow somewhat. Trim the wick each day on your testers, they will burn longer and better.

When you are selecting candles for your customers, make sure the “cold throw” (when the candle is not burning) puts off a good enough smell that your customers will be enticed to try them. Also test the “hot throw” (when the candle is burning) to be sure that the scent carries through. There is nothing worse than selling a fabulous smelling candle only to have the customer bring it home and find it has no scent.

Carry candle accessories such as wax remover, wick trimmers and base sharpeners. Having them comes in handy for added sales.

Cynthia Sutton Stolle

Retailer Cynthia Sutton-Stolle of Silver Barn, in Columbus, TX, has over 25 years' experience in retail. The store's website is silverbarnantiques.com. Sutton-Stolle is an active user of social media as well. Her loyal customer base follows her on Twitter, Facebook and on her blog.