A mannequin wearing your boutique fare may not be very interesting standing alone in your storefront window. You will need to use your imagination to make grab attention if you’re on a budget. Here’s some food for thought. If you’re in a boutique, then you’re selling interesting and unique items, right? So it stands to muster that if you use something really unique in your visual display, then it will lend itself to being a hip and fashionable choice. After all, you’re the one setting the trends here.

Some stores have successfully used recycled and reused items to create stunning displays that didn’t cost them a dime. One store used an old oil drum cut up into a giant sheet of stars to create the background for their new summer line display. They painted multi-colored stripes on an old curtain and hung it behind the stars, adding depth and texture to their window mannequin display. It didn’t cost but a few bucks to the welder the cut out the stars, but the display ended up being pretty effective.

They dressed the mannequins in clothing that had lots of prints, plaids, paisleys, and spots. Sounds just awful against that striped and starred background, but when they added in some banana tree leaves and piles of pots and pans around the bottom, the mismatched assortment helped to communicate the unique nature of the clothing that was offered inside the store. People just couldn’t pass that window without wondering what in the world it meant!

Creating a little intrigue can go a long way. You can bring the theme of the window display into your store if you want. For example, take the store that we just mentioned. They could have the welder put together some structures made out of old pots and pans to put on top of their garment racks. They could take it a step further and fashion the pots and pans into chairs or even a tall column to display in the middle of the store. They could use pots and pans to display accessories, socks or tank tops.

It doesn’t really matter what you use. It could be petticoats, water bottles, CD’s, or old TV’s. You can decorate or paint reusable or recycled items to make them into works of art. You could even take various items, like softballs, flower pots, and computer keyboards, and turn them into a mannequin that displays your clothing.

The point is that you run a boutique. You can do whatever you want. The more “out there” your designs, the more attention you’re going to get. You can top each garment rack in your store with a mannequin’s head, a leg, or a giant stuffed bird. Use your imagination. If you get interesting enough, you may start to see people getting their pictures made next to your oddly intriguing visuals, and then just imagine how far the word could spread! Talk about effective marketing on a budget!

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.

Shopping in a boutique should be a laid back atmosphere. Unlike the brightly lit, fast paced, chain retail stores, a boutique should invite shoppers to relax and take their time. It should entice them to enjoy their shopper experience, not just buy something and get out.

Boutiques are generally designed and run by someone who is passionate about a certain style or type of item. Owners pour their lives into making their boutique uniquely theirs. People are drawn to the creative spirit that they can actually feel when they’re in a boutique. Communicating your personality and passion is important when you are setting up your displays.

You will need to adhere to your vision for the boutique. Specialty lighting is a good way to set the mood. Tiny spotlights, soft lighting, lamps, and specialty light fixtures can help you communicate how you want your customers to feel. Just make sure that it’s not so dark that no one can see the glorious detail of your work!

Art is a great addition to your boutique’s decoration. You can choose to display your own work, the work of local artists, or eclectic pieces that you’ve discovered over the years. You can save money by asking local artists if they would like to display a piece in your boutique. They can hang a painting or sculpture in your store and then mount business cards next to the art. You can even sell the art for them if you’d like to offer that service. Most artists are more than willing to do this and it can save you a bundle on decorations.

Let’s get back to that “surprise around every corner” appeal. If your boutique has different rooms, you’re in luck. But if it doesn’t, then you can use your retail displays to create division in the boutique. You can also use armoires, dressing screens, mannequins, clothing racks, whatever you like to divide the boutique into smaller sections.

Each section of your boutique should have a unique allure. Use your creative mind to come up with different arrangements that accent the style and product that you are displaying. Use specialty boutique garment racks to add detail to your clothes hanging displays. You can use old dressers and tables to display folded clothes and accessories.

Get creative when you display and don’t get stuck using everything for its intended purpose. You can cover a hat rack with hooks and use it for displaying bracelets. The possibilities are really endless. Your clothing racks don’t have to only hold clothes or be ordinary chrome. You can buy a garment rack with iron art accents and give everything in your boutique personality.

Just be creative and remember that you are not limited by anything but your imagination and your boutique will have that coveted charm that you are after.

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 clothing rack or garment rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com.

Boutique style needs to be unique. You want people to remember your store in a certain way. Trendy, vintage, classic or minimalist, your store fixtures, garment racks and lighting need to match the image that you want to portray.

Vintage style garment racks are very trendy right now. They have curls and textured metals that make decorating your boutique easy. Unique angled hanging bars and decorative shelving gives you many options for merchandising your apparel. Boutique garment racks generally hold less clothing than big department store garment racks because in a boutique, each collection or even each article is held in a special light.

Vintage metal cage dress forms make great window displays. You can put a unique flair on everything that you show, while branding the image of your store. Choosing the right garment racks can make a big difference, so how do you know which ones to choose?

There are definitely a lot to choose from when you start shopping around. The problem that most boutique owners run into is that the racks are either too expensive, there aren’t enough options with each design, or you just can’t tell if the racks are of good quality or not. Researching suppliers can be a pain and an endless job. So what do you do?

Save money and be guaranteed of high quality by choosing a supplier that is also the manufacturer. Make sure that they stand behind their work. Ask questions about sharp edges, screws that periodically need tightening, how much weight the rack can hold, etc. You want to make sure that what you buy is sturdy enough for children to climb on without breaking the rack. Otherwise, you could end up with a liability on your hands. Sharp edges that could cut customers as they walk by is another thing to be careful about avoiding.

When you find sturdy, affordable, stylish garment racks for your boutique, make sure that the company you buy from has been around for a while. You may want to order more pieces or open more stores down the line. If the garment racks are part of your image, they could become part of your brand. So, make sure that you’ll be able to get more garment racks when you need them.

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.