Hello to all!
I haven’t really posted lately because, well, I am working a
fulltime high-tech job and getting my business+gallery up. This will
probably begin to happen next month. Finally! Then I can start
18-hour days instead of 16-hour ones. 
I now have to decorate the gallery and I wanted your opinions. I was
thinking of building a large pyramid with drawers, and have customers
open the drawers to see what is for sale. Of course, I would also
have some signature pieces on display as well as some quickies by the
check- out.
So, my question is: Would customers like being pro-active, as in a
treasure hunt - or does everything have to be on display? Second
issue: I want my place to be a magical retreat. The roof is high and
made of wood. How can I lend an atmosphere of The Three Fairies’
house in the woods (from Sleeping Beauty)? I want people to come in
and sigh with relief that they are there, and feel the shackles of
the world disintegrating. But I don’t want the usual candles+crystals
routine, if you know what I mean, just like I do not want the
run-of-the-mill gallery shop. I want people to feel the angels!!!
And, I want them to buy…
Thanx and keep shining,
D
Hi Devora
Maybe you could use mini lights and tulle or fine stiff fabric, or
some of the Eastern fabrics with a bit of shimmer… hanging in
swooshes!!! pinned from above. OR… hanging fabric with a dowel/rod
different angles, different lengths, overlapping so they move with
the wind would also create a airy feeling. Use fishing line to hang
the rods so that it seems to float…
…there is my 2 cents with some change due…
cheers
Simone…with a site coming soon
Hi Devora,
I was thinking of building a large pyramid with drawers, and have
customers open the drawers to see what is for sale.
IMHO as a potential customer, a pyramid would put me off and the
reason for this is psychological. As the drawers would presumably be
maybe half way up the pyramid at waist height, the base of the
pyramid would prevent me from standing close to the drawer and so
would form a barrier. Better might be a hexagonal tower with a domed
top to display a piece of significance and with ascending drawers on
alternate sides.If the space between the drawers were glazed it would
allow custemers to get a peek into the drawers to realise that they
were full of goodies to be discovered.
Best wishes,
Ian
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK
I used to own a gallery, and will share a couple of things I
learned. You aren’t a museum - you are in the business of selling.
People won’t buy what they can’t see. All work for sale should be out
on display, easily visible. If you are set on your pyramid make it
out of something clear they can see through.
Most customers won’t ask to see prices - make sure they are visible.
If your customers will include older folks make sure the prices are
large enough to be easily legible. Lighting matters - be sure it is
good.
Insurance is important - both for the items for sale, and liability
in case of customer accidents.
Keep a card file of customers with names, addresses, what they
bought. Then if a friend or family member comes in you can guide them
towards something to complement an item already purchased. This did
really well for me. Customers (and their husbands!) loved it.
Lighting and music can help set a stage or convey a theme, as can
the type of materials you use for your displays and their design.
Thanks for not doing scented candles or incense - many of us are
allergic. I hate it when I am traveling, and see a neat store that I
can’t go in because simply walking by makes my asthma kick in. A real
bummer.
Pick a font family to use for all signs and lettering - this can
help convey your theme, while keeping everything cohesive.
With a high roof you could hang lots of fiber art, kites, wind
chimes, etc., and maybe have a fan gently moving the air up high so
they move constantly. You might be able to create your atmosphere
that way?
Good luck - retail is a lot of work!
Beth in SC
Reading your posting about decorating your gallery, and the kind of
atmosphere you are looking for, made me think of a floral shop here
in Wichita. It’s called “Twigs”. They have made great use of natural
things - lots of grapevine curling around the top of the rooms, down
the weathered wood walls, moss, weathered wood, dried arrangements,
neutral baskets on tree stumps to hold items for sale, fresh rose
petals sprinkled on the old brick floor, and even on the sidewalk
outside the shop. The shelving, and pieces of furniture for
displaying things are all very neutral, or worn looking. The whole
effect is like being in an enchanted forest, and the items for sale
stand out nicely from the very weathered, natural, background.
Linda Gebert
http://homepage.mac.com/lgebertsilverjewelry