Have you ever ordered ice cream from room service?  We haven’t – and yet when we saw this note on the desk of our hotel room last night, we gave it serious consideration.  The reason?  The Monaco suggested it. We all know that Amazon has perfected the trick of suggested additional or alternate products. They… Read More

It’s hard to avoid the proliferation of products featuring CBD oil – everything from candles and soaps to toothpaste and bitters.  Because CBD oil can be derived from both marijuana (which is not legal in every state) and hemp (which is), there is little regulation regarding cannabidoil. It has been hailed as an anti-inflammatory, sleep… Read More

My first memory of a Food Hall was the magical temple of comestibles by that name at Harrods in London.  With its Art Deco decor and endless aisles of artfully arranged food, this culinary mecca dates back to 1902.  And unlike most American department store, even today Harrods features a Fresh Market Hall that is… Read More

The perfect in-store promotion is one that draws customers to the store and makes them feel good about shopping. That’s why we’re excited about participating in Socktober this year. We know that our customers love a charity tie-in that helps our community at the same time that it helps a locally owned business. Socktober is… Read More

How do new customers find your store? This is an important question to ask shoppers from time to time so that you can evaluate your marketing efforts.  Do most of them come in because they happen to be in the area? Do they see your ads on social media or in print publications?  Are radio… Read More

What does the image above have to do with spices?  If you are a fan of Penzey’s Spices of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, you would know that their public persona is as much about their politics as it is about their products.  Those who sign up for their newsletter, Voices of Cooking, receive recipes, tips, and “reminders… Read More

Few communities in America have escaped the decline in retail businesses that has resulted from the changes in the marketplace over the past few years. A study this month states that 20% of the retail spaces in Manhattan are either currently vacant or about to be, a phenomenon also hitting shopping streets and malls across… Read More

Leave it to the Leprechaun Village at Milwaukee’s Irish Fest to be up to date with the latest small business trend: multipurpose retail spaces. The challenges of online competition are making it essential for independent shopkeepers to do everything they can to give customers a reason to come into their store. This is especially true… Read More

“People don’t know what they don’t know,” Shark Tank’s Daymond John said in a recent profile in Chain Store Age. “Find people around you whom you can ask for advice,” he suggests to entrepreneurs. We are hard-wired not to ask for help, but good mentors can play a significant role in your store’s success. This… Read More

The cost of shipping goods to your store is a major factor in determining the profitability of each line of merchandise. Unless you can take greater than keystone markup, you may actually lose money on goods that come with a high freight cost. It’s a worthwhile procedure to look at every invoice and calculate the… Read More