Fall 2008

Party Your Way to Profits By Melissa Kellogg

Winning Display Ideas

Displaying products for entertaining is all about letting customers visualize how the products will look in their homes and/or seeing them in action.

The Harvey, LA-based wholesaler Beatriz Ball, recently held a merchandising contest and it received some inspired entries.

Here are the top three winners. They can help you create some winning tableaus of your own.

The store No Worries in Appleton, WI, won first place with this multi-tiered display. Enough products, arranged artfully, grab customers’ attention. The “table talkers” set out invite customers to linger and learn more about the product.

The Little Exchange in Dayton, OH, uses fresh fruit and flowers to create a beautiful display. Here too cards explain the multi-functionality of the serving pieces set out by this second-place winner.

The store Coastal Cupboard in Mt. Pleasant, SC, uses color carried across related merchandise to win third place. Notice how the central green runner is accentuated by artichokes in a display bowl and by the green candles scattered around.

Our thanks to Beatriz Ball and OneCoast for sharing the contest results with GIFT SHOP.

Melissa Kellogg

Kellogg is a freelance writer specializing in mountain home and living trends, marketing, real estate and business. She is based in Edwards, CO, and is a regular contributor to Mountain House & Home magazine. Her work has also been published in various newspapers and magazines, such as Beaver Creek Magazine and the Vail Daily.