Once upon a time, in the early days of the Internet, stores that wanted a web site had to hire a webmaster to create one. Web design required knowing how to use HTML, which was not a skill that most retailers had in their wheelhouse.  Even back then, some designers were better than others (I remember seeing sites… Read More

It’s been nice knowing that accepting a fraudulent credit card could only cost your shop, or the consumer, a small amount of money.  Considering the enormous overall annual cost of credit card fraud ($7 billion, by one estimate), we should all be grateful to the credit card companies and banks who have assumed this liability.… Read More

We all have a pretty good idea of what it means to be a sales rep in the gift industry — but what if there was a new way for some major vendors, and large sales agencies representing key lines, to structure the role of their sales reps in the future?  A recent chance meeting… Read More

Independent retailers in the US have never really come together to form a trade association with far-reaching goals, but thousands of our colleagues in the UK enjoy the benefits of bira (The British Independent Retailers Association). Of course I think that “buy local” organizations like BALLE and AMIBA are great. But wouldn’t it be wonderful… Read More

Looking over our assortment of Wisconsin-themed products made me think of a wonderful song by the Madison-based songwriting duo Peter and Lou Berryman.  As they explain about the writing of “Your State’s Name Here”, they perform around the country but usually their songs only feature their home state of Wisconsin.  The song was an attempt… Read More

Housewares buyers talk about creating a “dominant assortment” in various categories, but this term (and concept) isn’t very common in other retail fields. Thinking about creating a well-balanced assortment can be very helpful in making buying decisions, and in creating a store with a focused look.focused look. Before considering how you plan your assortment, you… Read More

“I haven’t been in your store for years — it looks great!” is a bit of a backhanded compliment.  And yet it’s not uncommon for someone to remark that although they have been in our store in the past, and were favorably impressed, they somehow neglected to come back until something reminded them to do… Read More

For most businesses, Facebook is a social media that supplements a free-standing web site.  Whether you are engaged in e-commerce or not, having your own web site allows you the most options for representing your business to the world. You can present the information about your store in a style that is in keeping with… Read More

Challenges or opportunities? It’s a matter of perspective. Applying energy and enthusiasm will go a long way towards overcoming these obstacles in the path of running a successful store. 1)Lack of capital – Managing a shop’s funds is always difficult, because it’s often impossible to predict sales (and thus income) accurately. But controlling your inventory… Read More

Independent retailers know the year-round challenges of competing with chain businesses such as discount stores and online behemoths.  It’s only fitting that we get an annual holiday — Independents Week — to “recognizes small businesses’ contributions to the community.” This quote comes from the founder of Independents Week, AMIBA (the American Independence Business Alliance), a… Read More