For many florists, the current economy leaves few, if any, extra dollars to spend on their businesses, making remodeling an unlikely venture. But there are several low-cost, or even no-cost, ways to change your shops image and make it more inviting to customers. We spoke with Richard Milteer, AIFD, AAF, PFCI, IFDA, creative director of Lakeland Florist Supply, Inc., in Edina, Minn., as well as retail consultants Barbara Crowhurst, founder of Retailmakeover in Toronto, and George Whalin, founder of Retail Management Consultants in Carlsbad, Calif., who offered the following ideas for refreshing your shops image without breaking the bank.
Mr. Whalin says one of the best ways to get ideas for your shop is to visit other retailers, both within the floral industry and beyond. Go out and look at other stores, he suggests. What would and wouldnt work in your store? Get some sense of what other retailers are doing.
The businesses featured in Mr. Whalins new book, Retail Superstars: Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores in America, each have several attributes that make them superstars, he says, but one thing they all have in common is that none of them look like every other store on the block.
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