A Glimmer of Hope

The Store as Refuge Despite a slow start to the year, retailer April McCrumb is happy that sales at her gift shops, Catching Fireflies, seem to be picking up again. Catching Fireflies has two locations... more »

A License to Profit

Licensed Products: Everything and Anything Imagine walking into a store and everything was white. That's what the world would be like without licensed products, says Ketra Oberlander, founder of Art of Possibility Studios in Santa... more »

What steps can retailers adopt to follow up on customers who have attended an in-store event?

What should retailers do after an event to get the maximum benefits from it? In-store events are key to success in today's competitive retail market—and capturing data from customers who attend the event will measure... more »

Translating Sustainable Practice to Sustainable Design

When Michael Bodziner was first assigned to redesign the McEvoy ranch's retail store in San Francisco, he thought he had a specific task to accomplish: to capture the essence of the nearly 80 acres of... more »

Best Sellers In The Hamptons, Long Island, NY

Hildreth's Department Store in SouthamptonIn 1842, Lewis Hildreth opened Hildreth's Department Store in Southampton, but it was no easy task. At that time, the railroad did not yet stretch to the eastern end of the... more »

Holiday Gourmet: The Season Never Tasted So Good!

Affordable Luxuries In this economy, it all comes down to this simple message: customers are looking for simple, affordable luxuries. For retailers like you, read small treats at low price points. Ron Tanner believes that... more »

Pink or Blue? Greening Baby Sales

Growing Green Just a few years ago in 2001, retailer Gerry Lewarne had limited success selling glass baby bottles. A few years later, the chemical BPA (Bispenhol-A), made news headlines as a potential carcinogen. Plastic... more »

Working Wedding Wonders

Value Proposition You knew it was only a matter of time: The popular monogramming trend has been making inroads into wedding accessories as well. Carolyn Siderys will attest to this. At Marilyn's Keepsakes, the Indianapolis... more »

Green Marketing

Sonya Hart, co-owner of River Forest, IL-based Two Fish Art Glass, has been practicing an eco-friendly lifestyle all her life. She has also been slowly convincing her partner to make changes within their lighting showroom,... more »

Monograms Are Her Muse

Blame it all on two fairly unusual names: Ariana and Lucia. A few years ago, retailer Francene Dudziec had a hard time finding trendy and fun personalized items for her daughters, now 13-year-old Ariana and... more »