R. Nichols Shop
Anda Lucia Ariail, president and CEO www.r-nichols.com
The R. Nichols Shop, located in the Audubon Park Garden District in Orlando has been open for 10 years. Although the store has one brick-and-mortar location, it does offer pop-up shops in New York City and at Epcot.
The store is located in an older community that is experiencing a re-growth and is part of the nationwide effort called MainStreet, which helps rebuild original neighborhood centers. The streets surrounding the shop are named after birds and Leu Gardens, which is located nearby.
“The founder of our company, Nick Hanzlik, has always had a passion for retail. He came from a retail background prior to starting the R. Nichols brand, which is based on his art style of creating hand-cut collages and turning the art into various products,” shared Anda Lucia Ariail, president and CEO.
The store’s specialty is its R. Nichols brand. “We carry our full line of branded products — luggage tags, prints, note cards, greeting cards, totes, notepads, Gratipads, etc.,” said Anda. “During the holiday season we do bring in some carefully curated additional brands that complement our products to bring in some unexpected joy.”
What Anda and Nick enjoy the most about operating and running the store is its customers and the ability to showcase and test its products. “We hear how people use our products, why they use them and what they love about them. Having the interaction with the customer is so valuable and ‘feeds us’ to keep evolving with our designs and products,” Anda explained.
“Store displays are enticing and it is all because of the owner. Nick loves to spend time sprucing up the shop and working on displays,” Anda said. “If he is in the office, he is fixing the store up front. He just can’t get enough.”
R. Nichols’ visually appealing success is due in part to the use of a neutral palette for its product displays. “We use white as a backdrop so that our products and the art shine. Our store is not over packed and is categorically organized so we can easily point people in the right direction.”
When Anda was asked about her favorite part of being with R. Nichols, she simply said: “Sharing our motto of Live Joy Give Joy with our customers through our interactions with them and our products.”
Best-Sellers
- Stationery and/or greeting cards: Anything pet related, Grati-Collection greeting cards, floral and garden images
- Miscellaneous/other: Any design pet related, luggage and bag tags