Thinking on your feet: Adjusting to the new norms in shops and shows By Jess Schmidt

{Sponsored} In the sleepy college town of Hanover, New Hampshire, much of life (and shopping traffic) centers around Dartmouth College and the campus population. After Dartmouth cancelled all activities prior to the 2020 graduation ceremonies and throughout the summer, traffic at Lemon Tree slowed — especially as students left town.

Melissa Haas, owner of Lemon Tree, says her shop usually flourishes in a normal year, prompting her to open a second location of Lemon Tree in a boutique mall in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, about 15 minutes away from her flagship store. The mall has faced different obstacles than the Hanover location, but with different clientele and double the footprint, Haas is able to offer more categories and SKUs.

Melissa Haas, owner of Lemon Tree
Melissa Haas, owner of Lemon Tree

As with many store owners, Haas has made changes to survive the pandemic. During the months the shops’ doors were shuttered, Lemon Tree took orders over the phone — something that they previously did due to the out-of-town nature of many of their regular shoppers. But now, Haas is working on starting a web store. “I’ve got to jump into the 21st century. It seems so daunting and overwhelming because I have so much product,” Haas said.

Re-opening safely

When shops in New Hampshire were allowed to re-open for in-person shopping, Haas wasted no time. Luckily, the area had a low number of cases and locals are just happy to be out and about again. The complimentary local

delivery that Lemon Tree offers will continue, and guests are excited to be back shopping in person.

Popular newer products like masks and touchless keyrings will stay on shelves, too. Haas has had to reorder the beautiful RainCaper masks, which keep selling out. Due to the unusually high temperatures over the summer, the W Fan from Time Concepts Inc. also was a big seller for Lemon Tree.

Time Concepts, Inc. is a popular vendor at Atlanta Market at AmericasMart, a show Haas visits every year. For Haas, and many shop owners like her, the in-person trade shows are a major way that they restock and discover new items for their stores.

How do you shop Atlanta Market?

At her annual visit to Atlanta Market — in a normal year — Haas stays for nine days. This means she has time to see as much as is possible, since she is coming from a far distance and needs to fill two stores. She starts at the top floor of Building 2 and winds down the structure, checking out every vendor she can. The Temporaries are her can’t miss; she spends the bulk of her third and fourth days there. “To me, the Temporaries are terribly important,” Haas said.

In her long stay in Atlanta, Haas seeks out new products, connects with her long-time favorite showrooms such as Tango, Chandler Four Corners, Hester & Cook and Creative Co-Op. She shops Joy Susan handbags and said she has to see those products in-person. She is sure to always see everything on Floors 18 and 17 and also spends time in Building 1.

Why are shows so important to how you do business?

Haas and Lemon Tree put a lot of stock into touching and seeing products in person. This vital step helps Haas know the quality of the merchandise and whether or not it is a good fit for her shops or not. “I think we need to see and touch to experience the quality firsthand before ordering. I think if shows were to end, it would start to spell the end of brick & mortar stores,” Haas said.

This opinion isn’t isolated. For shop owners and buyers who bank on quality merchandise, the in-person experience at markets is as important as the in-person shopping experience for their customers. Knowing that quality items are going to be on shelves of shops like Lemon Tree is a reason to make customers comfortable ordering online or over the phone if they aren’t comfortable shopping in person quite yet.

Atlanta Market was the first industry show to reopen its doors in August, and will welcome retailers again this January with proper health and safety protocols in place. As a complement to physical markets, digital tools are available including an enhanced Exhibitor Directory on the new AtlantaMarket.com website, which  launched in November.

Atlanta Market

The Premier Gift, Décor and Lifestyle Market

Showrooms: January 12 – 19, 2021

Temporaries: January 13 – 17, 2021

Visit AtlantaMarket.com for the latest news.

© 2020 AmericasMart Atlanta

Jess Schmidt

Jess brings a creative writing degree and over 16 years of professional writing experience to her role as content marketer for the Great American Media Services and SmartSolutions teams. With her additional background in the design world, she works with clients to make their brand stories stand out. Her specialties are thought leadership, compelling descriptive language and marketing strategy. She moonlights as a contributing writer with Gift Shop Plus from time to time.




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