1) Location-The location of your store should be thoroughly researched. Smaller spaces in better places may be a better investment than a huge warehouse outside of town. You’re going to need to focus your theme towards a specific audience, so keep in mind where they like to shop. Determine who your competition is and take note of what types of locations are most successful.

2) Prices-You are starting up a boutique not only to “live your dream” or work for yourself, but also to turn a profit! Don’t be afraid of higher pricing if your product and store image match what you’re asking. You just want to make sure that your theme and pricing are consistent with each other.

3) Design-Color and style can go a long way in a boutique. Think about web design. Do you personally like sites with a lot of pictures, color and attitude? Or do you prefer a white screen with black lettering? Most people derive satisfaction from identifying part of who they are with the styles that they like as well as the businesses they support. Make sure that your colors and style are coherent with what your target audience identifies with.

4) Store Front-Your store front should quickly define what type of store you are and what niche in the market you are fulfilling. If you have a vague name like “Picture” then you can expect people to glance, look perplexed and then forget about you. Spend a lot of time deciding on your name. If you go with something clever, make sure that it’s not too far of a stretch for people to understand. Run it by a few people and see if you end up explaining yourself over and over, or if they get it right off the bat. First impressions are everything and they are made at lightning speed in today’s fast paced world.

5) Store Layout-Layout your store in a way that feels inviting. If you are catering to twenty or thirty-something year old women, then make sure that there is enough room between your garment racks for them to push a stroller. If you’re catering to men, make sure that each section is clearly labeled so that they do not quickly give up and head for the department store. Follow these guidelines and take your time. You’ll have a great theme that says everything that you want it to in no time.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

If you do it right, you can tell the customer what you want to say most in the first second. Then you can give them impressions of a few other elements of the store within the next couple of seconds. By the third or fourth second, wheels are already set in motion. The customer or potential customer gazing at your storefront has already formed about 20 different opinions about your store. Do you see why image is so important? You have to steer these opinions in the right direction to make it to the next level.

The next level has to do with internalizing. In the first initial impression phase, the customer is summing up what you sell, whether or not it’s within their style, interest, price range, social status, or needs. In the internalization phase, the customer is imagining how they would look in that dress, what their friends or co-workers would think about it, how they will feel when they wear it. Basically, they’re running the displays through a series of tests to see if they still like what they see. This phase of shopping happens when curiosity is evoked.

This is usually what is happening when someone walks through the front door of the store. I believe that you shouldn’t interrupt this process. It can put someone on edge if they’re having intimate thoughts about themselves in their own personal lives and then a sales person jumps in, greets them, and asks them a bunch of questions about what they’re looking for, how they’re doing today, etc. Small talk can get in the way of letting your imagery do its work.

If someone’s curiosity is peaked and the imagination is churning, you’ll see them start to feel and touch things. Human beings are very tactile. From birth on we want to explore the world with our hands. Give your customers a chance to rummage through the clothing racks, checking out prices and quality. If your imagery is right, you can pretty much watch the mind awaken and the customer sell themselves on your products.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of clothing racks including garment racks. Find a high quality clothing rack or garment rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

The first rule is pretty basic. You don’t want your store to look like a mess when customers come inside. Using too many tables and shelves for displays can make your store look disorganized, because customers will invariably need to rummage through folded stacks of clothes to find their size. Even if you have sizes separated by shelf, customers will still have to unfold to get a good look at the garment and will put it back on whichever shelf is most convenient.

Use wall space and display systems like slatwall to keep the store looking neater. You can use garment racks to hang extra clothing and keep the store looking neat. Be careful not to crowd garment racks. You do want the customers to have plenty of space for maneuvering about the store. They don’t want to be back-to-back with other customers or staff.

Also, using too many garment racks can make the store look crowded and bland. If the customer can’t see what you have without sifting through, then they’re not likely to look around for long. Make sure that you utilize three dimensional displays to keep the customer interested. Hanging mannequin forms are great for creating feature displays on garment racks and slatwall displays. You can also display hanging outfits on top of your garment racks. Customers that can see how clothes look and stay interested as they make their way through the store.

Another thing to keep in mind is that customers tend to shop at eye level. Make sure that the focal points of your garment rack and shelving displays are where they will get customers’ attention. Every display should have a point of focus and should be designed to make the customer want to slow down and investigate. The longer a customer spends at your garment racks or feature displays, the more likely they are to spend extra money.

People associate the quality of an item with the way that it is displayed. Cheap, plastic displays communicate discounted, lower quality merchandise. People expect sunglasses on a checkout rack to be a lot cheaper than sunglasses in a glass display case in the same location. Price things according to the display quality and you should increase your sales and minimize the amount of merchandise that you have to clearance out.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

Think about what word, phrase, or idea inspires you and build on it. Will your boutique’s theme exude simplicity, functionality, craftiness, designer apparel, unique accessories, vintage finds, or something else? There are endless possibilities when it comes to boutique themes. Boutiques can be any type of retail store that has a specialty. You can even focus on one type of item, like pet clothing, jewelry, or screen printing.

Once you have developed your concept, you can concentrate on the bones of the store. Supplies, decorations, garment racks, feature displays, software, and inventory control items can be chosen to fit around your theme. For displays, like tables, garment racks, shelving, slatwall and mannequins, find a good supplier that offers wholesale prices. You may have luck finding a supplier that is also a manufacturer of the garment rack, hangers, and other items that you’ve chosen. Shop around online, but also call other boutiques and retail stores to find out who they use and why. Working with your competition can help you to make a name for yourself in the community.

Sometimes you can get displays for free by contacting the companies whose products you are selling. Many companies offer racks, displays, signs, custom print hangers, and more to the stores that ask for them. You can also pick up some great tips by visiting trade shows and participating in retail conferences. Making contacts wherever possible is a valuable way to get started in the industry. You can learn a lot from other people’s struggles, failures, and successes.

If you’re nervous about asking your direct competition for advice, there’s nothing that says you can’t talk to other boutique owners around the country. In fact, many of them read sites like this one and participate in boutique owner forums to share information with each other. It’s inspirational to hear other people’s ideas and you may come up with some boutique concept ideas that you haven’t considered yet.

Your contacts are assets to you. Keep a running list of your contacts and make note of things like their willingness to help, tips that they gave you, and possible joint effort marketing ideas. Some boutiques help each other out by mentioning each other on their blogs, doing guest posts for each other, and mentioning each other on social networks. This is a great way to get your name out there and increase your rankings in the search engines without spending any money.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

Communicate with your customers exactly what will be on sale, or do a general “20% off of everything” advertisement. People that normally find your merchandise overpriced will jump at the opportunity to get those special things that they like at a discounted price. Keep track of any new customer information by collecting e-mail addresses and home addresses at the register. This way, you can send out communications to the people who only shop in your boutique around the holidays every year.

Think about what motivates people to shop at boutiques for the holidays and make sure that you’re giving them what they expect. They may be looking for a few higher priced items, but they may also be looking for stocking stuffers, unique gifts that are lower priced, and even a little something for themselves. Feature a wide range of products in your displays and make sure that you have plenty of smaller items for stocking stuffing around the register.

Another thing to consider is that people may be looking to get in and get out. If they have other shopping to do on Black Friday, they may be anxious to get their shopping done fast. Make sure that you have plenty of well-marked displays throughout the store showing them what deals you have going on. You can creatively lure customers into spending more time at your displays with candles for them to smell, lotions for them to try, coffee, hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, or other items that will make them want to slow down and shop.

The last thing that you want is for your customers to feel anxious and ready to leave. Make sure that your music is not too loud, lights are not too bright, and that your clothing racks are not too close together. You also don’t want your customers to have to dig through an overly full clothing rack to find what they need. Keep displays fairly simple and easy to navigate and your customers will have a good experience in your boutique this holiday season.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of clothing racks including garment racks. Find a high quality clothing rack or garment rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

1) Focus on making a good first impression. The holidays are a time when customers will seem to come out of the woodwork. A lot of people avoid shopping most of the year. However, they often times will have multiple people to shop for around the holidays. They will be out scrutinizing and judging every store that they see, trying to determine which ones are worthy of their time, energy and business. Your staff, their attitudes, and how helpful they are can have a big and lasting impression on these customers.

2) Make it easy for shoppers to see what you have to offer. Use signs, easy-to-read advertisements, social networks, and mailings to communicate with the public early in the season. People do not want to waste their time and often have a lot of shopping to do. They’re interested in going places that will inspire them or offer them unique merchandise at a price that they can afford during the holidays. Letting them know ahead of time what you have to offer can get them to your boutique before they go anywhere else.

3) When the customers do arrive, make sure that the store is easy to navigate. Create multiple displays that promote your most interesting items. Keep them neat, organized, and fully stocked so that customers can quickly get what they need. Post prices so that people in a hurry can scan your displays and go to the ones that carry items in the price range that they’re looking for. Using slatwall displays to keep everything up and in sight is a great idea. Don’t place your garment racks too closely together or people will avoid squeezing past other shoppers to look around. Another good idea is to not over-pack any one garment rack. People do not want to spend all day digging through clothes to maybe find what they want.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

Unfortunately, many stores miss out on this golden opportunity to cater to their fall-sentiment loving customers. We’re so anxious to get the Christmas season off to a great start that we kind of tend to leave Thanksgiving in the dust. Are you looking to stand out from the crowd? Do you want to boost your holiday sales without waiting around for the end of December before you see it? Maybe it’s time to give Thanksgiving a little more attention.

No one has ever suggested that skipping a season is a good idea. We seem to dote over spring, summer, back to school, and Christmas, but we leave that beautiful fall weather theme untapped. Many customers are turned off by seeing the Christmas decorations out really early. Many companies start planning, stocking and decorating for the winter wonderland in early October. This leaves many customers thinking, “What about Halloween? What about Thanksgiving?” The weather has barely required you to bring your jeans out of storage and already you’re looking at snow, Santa Claus, and heavy winter gear.

Just imagine how refreshing it would be for your customers to see how much you love fall, like they do. Finally, this beautiful time of year has been given the respect that it deserves! Bravo to the stores that don’t try to push Christmas before a tree has lost a single leaf! Be the one. Make sure that your customers know that you are celebrating the Thanksgiving season. No more squeezing into the “back to school” or general “holiday season”. Thanksgiving deserves the attention and your customers who love it will appreciate it, too.

Make sure that you make it known. Send out your newsletter, mailers, flyers, post signs on your garment racks, whatever it takes to show that you’re different. You’re sure to stand out among the competition when you put your best fall foot forward. Display those rich reds and bright yellows. Leave no garment rack undecorated. Get those window displays popping. Show the world (or at least the mall) who loves the fall weather!

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

1) POP displays were originally designed to get the customer to make extra purchases at the checkout. These types are highly effective. Position them around your register or where customers will have to look at them while they’re waiting in line. Countertop and impulse buy displays should display a product and also have some sort of logo, graphic, or information about the product. This is your chance to really convince the customer to increase their purchases because they actually have time to read the details about the product or brand. When a customer feels informed, they are more comfortable making the decision to buy.

2) You can use POP displays around your store, too. They are effective around mirrors, dressing rooms, outside of major departments, and at the ends of aisles. They are great for drawing attention to certain areas of the store. They draw the eye and can help you to control what the customer looks at next while shopping. Our inclination is to read something when we see words, so take that into consideration when you set up your display. You might want to keep it brief so that the amount of reading is not overwhelming. A simple name brand, logo, or tag line that gives a person the gist of what the product is about is sufficient. Once they’re drawn over, you can go into more detail about how the product is made in the USA, uses only organic materials, or donates a certain portion of their sales to charities.

3) People choose boutiques over giant department stores for specific reasons. Keep these reasons in mind so that you can tailor the display to your target market. Uniqueness is one reason that some people shop at boutiques. They enjoy the “off the beaten path” brands and designs, so make sure that they are aware of the brands that you carry by using POP displays. Sometimes companies will even provide you with a free display if you ask so that they can promote their brand as well.

4) Keep your boutique easy to shop in by leaving space between your garment racks or the garment rack and the wall. You don’t want to crowd your customers with numerous POP displays and clothing racks. You can use a POP display, even a small one, as the only display of that particular product. Just make sure that you keep it fully stocked so that people don’t think that they won’t be able to find what they need in other areas of the store.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

1) The décor in a boutique is a large part of what makes it unique. People love to browse the merchandise and admire the furniture, rugs, and art. Even though these things may not be for sale, they still show the customers what type of style you have and how much you care about creating a boutique that caters to shoppers like them. The more you can feed this desire to be somewhere beautiful and unique, the more your shoppers will enjoy their experiences there.

2) Many boutiques take it a step further and use furniture around the shop to encourage customers to hang out, have coffee and cookies, or simply relax when they are tired of shopping. Not only does it encourage people to shop longer, but it gives you another way to make the customer feel like you care about their comfort. Vintage or upscale furniture pieces are like works of art that customers can appreciate and admire, adding to the mood experience of the boutique.

3) Another form of décor in your boutique is the lighting. Imagine the difference between a shop lit with fluorescent bulbs and one with soft spot lights, natural light, track lighting, and unique chandeliers. You want to encourage your shoppers to use all of their senses while they’re in your store. You want them to have a “whole body” experience and open their minds to new ideas, products and even price categories. Using creative lighting will help to put them into the mood to do just that.

4) Your displays should also all be interesting and easy to access. Don’t overfill your garment racks, making it difficult for shoppers to see what you have. A neatly organized garment rack is much more attractive. Use open pieces of furniture, like an armoire, to create displays. Hanging things facing out towards the center of the store also helps to entice customers to browse. Use mannequins or hanging forms to show customers how pieces look when worn because sometimes you can’t tell how appealing something is when it’s simply on a hanger.

Use these ideas and come up with more of your own to have your boutique décor represent you and give the customers what they’re there for, a unique shopping experience.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

A simple e-mail list is a good place to start. Offer customers a discount on their purchase if they sign up for your monthly newsletter, or agree to receive promotions, coupons and announcements from you in the form of e-mail. Generally, people don’t want to have very many e-mails from a company, so you should probably consider only sending out one per month. Make announcements, personalize the feel of the letter, and have coupons that people can print out and redeem in the store.

When people receive your newsletter, it should be colorful and full of pictures. Learning a little about designing a template for your newsletter can help you to keep your customers’ interest while sticking to your brand image. If you’re not comfortable, consider hiring a professional for this part of the job. Beyond that, everything else should be free.

You also need to let your shoppers know what’s going on and what’s coming up while they’re in the store. Place advertisements on your outdoor sign, in your display windows, and on top of your clothing racks. Place signs at eye level so that they are easy to spot and read. You can also have your sales people personally tell people about your promotions and upcoming sales. Boutique shoppers are intrigued when you let them know that their favorite brands are going on sale or that new merchandise is coming in soon.

Boutiques are often small, independently owned businesses that do not have a lot of money to spend on advertising. So, keeping up with your customers on your own can be very effective and rewarding. Start a social networking site account to notify your customers of sales and new arrivals. Have them share your link to participate in contests or other promotions. This type of word-of-mouth advertising is very powerful and doesn’t cost you a thing.

If you don’t think that you have time to keep up with a daily social networking site or the production of a monthly newsletter, you can hire an internet marketing company to do it for you. However, keeping in touch personally, using a sign atop your clothing rack, or even hanging some merchandise outside of your store is a great way to let people know what’s going on. Give them something to talk about and share with their friends and you’ve got yourself an effective marketing strategy.

About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of clothing racks including garment racks. Find a high quality clothing rack or garment rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.