A GMO, or genetically modified organism, is a far cry from the latest trend in retail promotions, a GNO — which stands for Girls Night Out.  There is one thing that they have in common, however, and that is that a GNO almost always includes the opportunity to achieve a (slightly) modified mental state through… Read More

The shopping days following Thanksgiving weekend are now commonly known as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday — so it was only matter of time until a group claimed Sunday for its own. The Museum Store Association has just announced an effort to have it named Museum Store Sunday.  The event is subtitled… Read More

I think we’d all agree that some people are more influential than others, especially online. And it turns out that there is now a whole science of “influencer marketing” that focuses on these individuals rather than a larger target market, because socially-inspired shoppers trust the opinion of people considered to be trend setters. Influencers are… Read More

Wouldn’t it be great to know exactly what your shipping costs are going to be, no matter how big or small your order? I’ve only seen two of our vendors offering a flat rate on wholesale orders, but I hope it’s a trend that is going to spread.  Compendium, a forward-thinking supplier of stationary, cards… Read More

I hope you never need the advice in today’s blog, but the fact is that many shops (like the Northern Music & Video store in Potsdam, NY shown in the illustration above) do eventually close.  Sonia Mott, who was a fellow retail advisor to the Gift and Home Trade Association, has gone out of business… Read More

Are you finding it more challenging to find good employees?  Gone are the days when we would get dozens of applications for every opening.  Happily the days are also gone when we would pay the newspaper an exorbitant fee for a classified help wanted ad in an impossible-to-read 6 pt. type.   We now mostly… Read More

A blog describing Hay as a cool Copenhagen concept store made me realize that I didn’t really know what was meant by that term.  According to Insider Trends, a concept store “is a shop that sells a carefully curated and unique selection of products that connect to an overarching theme. Often they evoke a lifestyle… Read More

If you ever feel in need of inspiration, or indeed are in despair about the future of retailing, treat yourself to a leisurely visit to The Shopkeepers website.  There you will find what has been described as “a carefully curated online collection of the best that the world has to offer in independent shops.” In… Read More

One way to stretch your inventory dollar is to purchase on consignment, which means you don’t pay unless the product sells. The risk of stocking the merchandise is thus placed on the vendor, not the store.  Goods sold on consignment usually have a lower markup than merchandise purchased outright, so your profit margin will often… Read More

There has been much discussion across the nation about raising the minimum wage, which would have a big impact on independent retailers (see Minimum Wage, Maximum Concern). Lawmakers in the state of Oregon are now considering additional legislature that would have a trickle-down effect on smaller shops, although at the moment it is aimed at… Read More