Specialty Shop Retailing: How to Run Your Own Store

Description

When Carol Schroeder and her husband founded Orange Tree Imports 20 years ago, they had no retail background whatsoever. Carol knew she was in for a learning experience—and learn she did! She taught herself merchandise display, record keeping, inventory management, and a myriad of other skills that make up the store owner’s craft. Carol is now an award-winning retailer; her “little gift shop” enjoys annual sales of $1.5 million and employs more than 30 people. In this book she shares her learning experience with anyone who dreams of achieving the independence and satisfaction that come with running your own store.

But Specialty Shop Retailing is much more than a lively memoir filled with helpful hints. It is a comprehensive guide to every aspect of opening and operating a retail store. Ms. Schroeder covers everything from choosing a location and store design to niche marketing, advertising, and customer service. She supplies more than two dozen forms ready to copy or adapt for use in your own store; and her tutorials on visual merchandising, store design, and advertising are supplemented with beautiful photographs, sample ads, and witty cartoons. The book includes an extensive glossary of retail terms and a bibliography of additional reading sources for help on special topics such as writing a business plan and managing employees.

Like any wise businessperson, Carol Schroeder doesn’t rely entirely on her own experience. From interviews with dozens of the most successful specialty retailers in the United States and Europe, she culls practical solutions to some of the field’s most daunting challenges. She addresses major strategic issues, such as competing with big box discounters and diversifying product mix. Many of these solutions are built on straightforward, simple techniques that can be used in any store setting.

Whether you’re a seasoned retailer with many years’ experience or a novice just beginning to plan a store, Specialty Shop Retailing will surprise you with a host of new and imaginative ideas to make your store more attractive to customers, more profitable for you, and more interesting and exciting for everyone.