Retail Rock Star Blog

The Store That Was Beyond Conception

In the 1990's there was a specialty store that was founded in Dallas that was one of the most unique concepts I have ever encountered.  The name of the store was Beyond Conception, and the owner billed it as a pregnancy store offering a wide range of products that "cover everything needed before, during & after pregnancy."  After conducting extensive research of expectant parents, the owner found that most newly expectant parents knew very little about parenting, and the store's mission was designed to provide education and comfort to the nervous parents to be.  Doesn't sound so different from other stores that sell baby products?  Well read on...

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the store was the intoxicating aroma of chocolate chip cookies baking.  The store had a commercial oven and cookies were baked and served all day long.  The smell was instantly welcoming and comforting to the nervous shoppers, making them relax and feel at home.  Yummm...but it gets even better.

The most amazing thing about Beyond Conception was that it carried only one model of everything in each category. The owner did extensive research on all products, formed an opinion on which one was the best on the market in each category, and only carried that one.   For example, the store sold only one model of car seat for each stage of development.  It sold only one full size stroller, one umbrella stroller, and one double stroller.  It sold one bottle, one breast pump, one baby carrier, etc.  The salespeople were able to explain why each product was selected by their company as the best, covering information such as quality, safety record, comfort, ease of use, etc.  Prospective parents loved it – theirhomework was all done for them.  If they wanted the best product on the market as determined by a knowledgeable industry person whose job it was to do nothing but research baby products – then they went to Beyond Conception.  No need to wade through an aisle of 30 car seats, no need to take the time to read up on the hundreds of items they needed for a new baby.  An expert had done it all for them, and could give them details and reasons why in minutes. 

Of course, “best” is a matter of opinion, but this store had an opinion and was able to support it.  They were knowledgeable and confident – everything that a newly expectant parent is not.  The store was an incredible hit with customers.  Unfortunately, after enjoying much success in its first location as well as several additional ones, plans were made to quickly grow it to a chain of 200 stores nationally.  The financial burden created by expanding too rapidly destroyed this fabulous specialty store.  Sadly, even the best concepts cannot withstand financial mismanagement.  And this concept was beyond conception.

Flight 001 - The Retail Store That's An Aircraft!

 

This store just knocks my socks off every time I see it!  Conceived by two business travellers, Flight 001 is a one-stop shop for vacationers and frequent flyers alike.  It carries all things related to travel, so naturally it has a fantastic selection of luggage, travel bags and travel guides.  What you might not expect to find are the hundreds of accessories ranging from the basics such as neck pillows sleepmasks, international plug adapters and passport holders -- to the most obscure -- compressed beach towels, bathroom emergency kits, travel chopsticks and travel-sized spice sets.  It's so easy to go in there to buy one thing and come out with several more you never realized you needed (exactly what your merchandising should do.)

Not only is the concept fantastic, but the execution is superb.  The inside of the store is designed to look like the inside of a jet aircraft, complete with shelves that look like overhead bins.  My favorite detail is their business card that look like an airline ticket stub. 

Flight 001 (www.flight001.com) currently has 5 locations -- New York, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Berkeley, and (lucky me!) Chicago (pictured above).  This is a must-see store for anyone interested in experiencing a truly unique retail concept that works.

Does Your Store Concept Have Star Power?

I'm sure this has happened to you -- my business partner Lynne and I went out to lunch the other day, and we stopped at a specialty store next door that had a cute name, a cute awning, and a cute sign in the window.  We had never been there before...and we'll never go back.  Why?  Because the inside message did not match the outside. The product mix was confusing and the store had no clear concept.  In a space that was about 600 square feet, they had expensive ($100-$200) handcrafted jewelry merchandised with under $20 costume jewelry, children's toys, stationery, women's bitch-themed products, school supplies, maternity shirts, hand towels, books for the bride-to-be, sassy greeting cards, bath products -- suffice it to say the product mix was a mess.  Was this a store for kids or adults? Was it sweet or sassy?  Were the price points low, moderate or high?  What the heck was going on??  There was no clear purpose, no solid concept to this business.  You could tell the owner was artistic and put a lot of work into the appearance but not into the concept.  It's a shame, because half the battle in retail is to get a customer to walk in your store for the first time. 

You should be able to answer the following 4 questions about your store's concept:

1.  What is the Category?  2.  What is the specialty?  3.  What is the target market?  4. What is the personality/image/theme? Following each are covered in more detail:

 1.  What is the cateogry in which your store falls?  This should be a fairly simple one or two word answer:  Apparel?  Home Decor?  Toys? 

2.  What is the specialty within your category?  Be as specific as possilbe.  For example:

• Apparel: Women's special occasion dresses sizes 2 through 18
• Apparel:  Women's Lingerie sizes 0 - 16
• Apparel:  Infantwear sizes preemie - 24 Mo. 
• Home Decor:  Art Deco Home Accessories
• Home Decor:  Lamps & Chandeliers
• Home Decor:  Hand crafted wood furniture
• Toys: Dolls
• Toys: Educational for infants through age 12
• Toys: antiques and collectibles

You can have more than one specialty, but too many stores make the mistake of trying to be too broad.  The smaller your square footage, the fewer specialties you should have.  There are no hard and fast rules, but you can't have something for everyone and do it well.  Choose your core specialty or couple of specialties and clearly define your business.

3.  What is your target market or most likely audience?  Again be specific: 

• Teen Girls Ages 14 - 18 (high school)
• Career women ages 25 - 39
• Married couples ages 40 - 55

4.  The final part of the concept is determining your store's personality, or image.  Just as a celebrity reflects a particular image, so will your store. For example, a lingerie store could reflect pure sex, like Frederick's of Hollywood.  Or it could be young & sexy, like Victoria's Secret.  It could also be practical -- foundations specializing in bra fittings, post-mastectomy products and control garments.  A home decor store could portray an image of formal elegance, French country charm, or rustic cabin comfort. 

Having a clearly defined concept will not only make decorating your store easier, but buying for it as well,  because you will know exactly what your message is and for whom is is intended.  In future blogs we will feature some specific stores that have clear, well executed concepts. 

Retail Rock Star - My First Blog Entry!

I think retailing is in my DNA.  I come from a family of entrepreneurs and sales managers.  My maternal grandparents owned Chandler's bookstore in Chicago in the 1940's and 50's, specializing in rare books and first editions.  My paternal grandparents owned a chain of 12 Chicagoland meat markets around the same time.  While I was growing up my father worked in sales management for the 7Up Company specializing in marketing their products in Chicago area restaurants, and my mom was a supervisor at Sears, Roebuck & Company at a time when chain stores were not open on Sundays (got me my first job there too -- if you don't count my brief stint at Chicken City, USA.)  My brother owned a real estate sales business in Chicago throughout the 1970's and 80's, and my sister owned several gorgeous home decorating stores in Fort Collins, Colorado in the 1990's. So, as the baby of the family, it was no surprise that my career followed a similar course.

I love specialty stores -- there's something about walking into one that truly works that just soothes your soul.  A great specialty store makes shopping really, really fun instead of just another chore to rush through.  Yes, many independent retailers have fallen victim to tough economic times and big-box retailers moving into town.  Yet many others are thriving because they are creating a unique shopping experience and a loyal repeat customer base that advertises their business for them.

I have always seen similarities between retailing and show business.  Like the first time I saw Cats on Broadway, I want to be dazzled when I shop.  I want a store to grab my attention with an excellent concept and design, and then hold it with superior merchandising, sales and service.  I want it to tell me something about its owner and its location.  This is what a good specialty store does.  Just about anywhere in America I can go into a cavernous warehouse-looking store that appears every few miles and walk through frequently malfunctioning theft detectors, get inundated with orange store policy signs, ignored by sales staff (if I can find them), and end the dismal experience by checking myself out under the watchful eye of hidden security cameras.  Sadly, this has become a common way for people to shop for everything from groceries to clothing to major appliances. 

That being said, not all specialty stores are good at what they do.  Specialty store retailing is an art that requires hard work, long hours, and a passion for the business.  This blog will focus on helping you create the "wow factor" experience for your customers without breaking the bank.  We won't be covering business plans and financial managment -- there are hundreds of books available on that topic.  We will focus on helping you examine your concept and create a look and feel in your store that will turn your customers into evangelists for your business and make you a can't-miss destination.  It will demonstrate how to inject some show-business into your business and will help you go from being a retailer to a being a Retail Rock Star!