Spring 2020
R. Nichols Shop By Debbie Eisele

A retailer with its own successful brand, Made in the USA

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.

R. Nichols store merchandise display — R. Nichols entices shoppers by
using floral accents in the center of a display table surrounded by luggage tags. Photos courtesy of R. Nichols.

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.

Nick Hanzlik, founder of R. Nichols Shop.

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.”

R. Nichols, a retail store in Florida — Pops of color within displays make for eye pleasing results that engage and pull customers to browse more closely.

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

Debbie Eisele

Debbie Eisele is the former managing editor for Gift Shop Plus, Stationery Trends and a variety of special issue publications, including: The Guide, Holiday Shop, Celebrations & Occasions and Waterfront Living.