Rethinking Everyday Materials

I think a lot of people overthink displays when it comes to the storytelling aspect.

Is it going to be expensive? That question seems to be the biggest hurdle.

Props and materials don't have to be expensive. They can be items from the grocery store, thrift shop, hardware store and dumpsters.

I used to go into stores searching for particular items and would end up so hyper-focused on those items that I would walk past isles and isles of other items that could have been used differently than I was thinking.

My friends, this is overthinking the process.

Yes, you can go in with a list of items you need, but I found that with my ADD, I could only focus on that list.

Now I will go into hardware stores, thrift shops, and yard sales with an open mind about finding something that can be a riser, cover the bottom of a jewelry case, cover a table, create height, etc. I have stopped looking at things for specific displays or usages.

Astroturf can instantly take a tabletop display from rustic to a garden vibe..

 2x4's are amazing risers for jewelry cases.

Pre-cut fence material cut down into different sizes strung from the ceiling can create a pretty incredible installation for a window or above a display.

Old tennis racquets are whimsical when hung on a wall with bright jewelry shown on it.

Old photos from a thrift shop are a great way to change the vibe of your standard boring frames.

Sourdough loaves and fresh herbs are a great way to create a lifestyle element on your tabletops. 

Fallen tree limbs hanging or shown in vases are incredible and are FREE

Old furniture like coffee tables and old chairs that someone has tossed is just a paint coat away from being your favorite way to create height in your display.

So, this is my call to action to you, my friend.

Take a few hours and go into some of these types of stores and walk through.

Walk slow, like really really slow and take it all in.

Walk through with an open mind.

You will see, things will start revealing themselves to you.

Let me know what you found and show me what you created with it! 

Make sure you tag me! I would love to share it with our followers!

xoxo,

Michelle

No Plastic Risers (Insert Joan Crawford voice)

Holy Cow…how is it almost September? I owe you all an apology! This was meant to be a  monthly blog and true to form, I fell off the wagon. Show seasons are challenging and I find  myself at the end of the day just wanting to unplug. I’m happily home and done with travel for  now. It all starts over again with the Bristol Farms holiday installs on October 21st. This is the  official kick-off to the holidays for me. How do I get inspired to install holiday decor in October? 

I start listening to Christmas carols in late September…yes, late September. I am a Christmas  baby and it truly is my favorite time of year. That being said, I am not allowed to play them in  the car or house if Dave is home. That’s his only stipulation so I have promised. I have to laugh  because I have been at home, happily listening to them when I hear Dave drive up and I  find myself leaping up and running to the speaker to turn it off.  

A promise is a promise after all. 

If you follow me on IG, you can follow along on our journey through California while we hit all  14 locations. Until then, I will be here, in Oregon, taking long walks by farms and vineyards with  my girls Matilda and Mouse, saying hello to the cows that I pass. 

No Plastic Risers  

This phrase will no doubt be on my gravestone. It has been ingrained in my head and will live  there forever. It also completely changed the way I merchandise.  

You see, at Anthropologie, standards, such as no plastic risers, are part of the everyday  conversation. You were also constantly thinking about the storytelling aspect of merchandising.  When creating vignettes, we were taught to ask questions like: 

“Who lives here?”  

“Is her home layered or is it minimalist?”  

“Does she collect anything?” 

“Is her wardrobe bright and fun or is it made up of neutrals?” 

All of these questions not only set the tone of the vignette but are the basis of what product  assortment is included in the vignette.  

Merchandising is storytelling, risers not only create height but also help continue to tell the  story. 

You can create height with so much more than a clear plastic riser. Think about each display or  vignette as a story. What story are you telling? 

Is it a tabletop or kitchen display? 

Old cookbooks or cookbooks that you have not been able to sell, stacked up with glassware  on them. 

Canned goods with the labels torn off create amazing risers for food-scented candles. Loaves of bread dry out beautifully and create whimsical risers for items like the Jelly Cat croissant.

Even paper egg cartons can be used as risers for something light. 

Is it a masculine vignette like a desk or a men’s section? 

Old books from the Salvation Army or the Goodwill store are great options.

Pro Tip: color them out by the book spines and take off the cover. Even better, remove the hard  cover altogether for a vintage look. 

4x4’s cut in different sizes and sanded down also make great risers as do pieces of stair tread  cut in larger pieces and stacked on top of each other.

Is it a garden or spring vignette? 

Pavers and bricks make easy risers, as well as, terracotta pots flipped upside down. My other  favorite is galvanized buckets both as binning as well as flipped upside down as larger risers.

Is it a holiday vignette? 

Vintage boxes from ornaments or simple boxes wrapped with coordinating paper and pretty  ribbon work amazingly. 

So many inexpensive items make great risers.  

My request to you is to think about the story you are telling and think outside the box. Go into  stores like Home Depot and walk the aisles. Take a stroll through a junk shop or a thrift shop,  comb the home decor isles and book isles. Look with an open mind and open eyes. I think you  will be surprised how many alternatives you can come up with for those hideous little plastic  risers. 

And, most of all, have fun with it, get caught up in the story, it’s supposed to be whimsical so  don’t overthink it. 

I’d love to see photos! Please post photos on your social media, tag me, and use the hashtag  #noplasticrisers.

Cheers, 

Xoxo, Michelle

Bin it to Win it

Happy June!

As promised, I am covering my biggest and best lessons from my time at Anthropologie. We are starting at the beginning with binning. Binning is one of the tricks that can do several things at once. It gives value to inexpensive items, contains multiple loose items, and creates cohesiveness. It also helps break up the run-on sentence of lined up or stacked up products on shelving. 

Here are some examples:

Small inexpensive items like lip gloss, jarred salts or candles in tins. Most of them come in hideous little boxes that you put out on your counters, why not take them out of the box and find a pretty candy dish or interesting bowl? Instantly the little inexpensive items look more important, it looks pretty and you have given it more value instantly. 

Tiny little gift books, why stack them up where they will get lost? Find a medium-sized glass jar and place them inside. This immediately cleans up your shelf or tabletop and contains an item that would normally get lost in a sea of bigger books.

When setting your shelving displays or wall units, binning certain items helps break up the CVS-looking lined-up boxes. Binning some items like the smaller boxes, jarred candles, and accessories will break up the lineup.. I like to create a pattern, 2 rows of lined up products, 2 rows of stacked up products, a jar of binned out products, and repeat the pattern. 

I hope this gives you some inspiration!

XO,

Michelle

Getting Back to Basics

Hello! 

In keeping up with my promise of a blog post each month I’ve decided to get back to the basics. Part of the challenge I have had in putting these out each month is content. Well, that and my work schedule. Now, that I am in Oregon, I have a lot more time on my hands and quite honestly I am still figuring out what my “flow” looks like daily. When you are used to going to a job site each week, that was my flow. Work looks a lot different these days. I’m doing more Zoom consults, building webinars and decks for speeches, planning for the upcoming shows, and living life. What I am not doing, is going to job sites every day. I miss it, I am not going to lie. It is what lights me up and drives me. That being said, I made a promise to myself that I would start to create work that is passive income. I’m 57, and as my very good friend from my days at Fred Segal said to me “Your workload is unsustainable, you are going to break down if you don’t slow down”. I took this to heart. A LOT of friends, (my bestie and husband included) have told me this but coming from her, a GIANT in the world of fragrance, and someone who is so driven but has also made a lot of changes over the last few years. it suddenly struck home. I am not getting any younger and, yes, I feel like I have been on a giant hamster wheel for years. I love it, I still do. But, its time to start creating something new. Now that I am finding myself with more time at a desk, I am creating more content. I’m finding my groove on TikTok, creating more Show Me Your Store series episodes but the blog has been a challenge. What do I write about when I am on social media talking about all the things that I would write about in a blog? What is interesting? What do people want to hear or learn about? What will people find value in without annoying them that there is yet another email in their inbox? I’ve decided that it’s time to get back to the basics! We are starting with the top tips from my time at Anthropologie. Each month we are going to dive deeper than I have been able to in Reels and TikTok, I will include examples and links to the things I love and use often. And, I am going to talk about the why. Why is it so important to raise your standards and why a lot of these things, if not all of them, will make a difference in how your store looks and feels. My hope and wish is that you find value, inspiration and real-life solutions to help you stand out in the retail world. It all begins June 1st. 

Xo, Michelle

Dear California, I Love You But, I'm Breaking Up With You

Hello! it's been a while. This is a very overdue blog post. For those of you who listen to the podcast, you pretty much know how the last 7 or 8 months have gone down.

For those who don't, here is the reader's digest version.

In September we just wrapped a huge project in Scottsdale. I needed to stay for a few extra days, Dave was finished so he returned home. When Dave got home, he told me that our Peanut wasn’t herself. Over that weekend our puggle Peanut declined so fast, I had to wonder if she was waiting for him. Within days we learned that she had only hours to live. I am grateful that I was coming home.

I had 4 hours with her before going to the vet to say goodbye to her. If you have a dog, or you are a dog person, you know how this guts you. It guts you in a way that sometimes, is harder than when it is a human.

4 days later, still grieving, we received a 60-day notice to move from the home we had lived in for 10 years. The owner was selling it.

60 days put us directly in the timeline of holiday setups. We would be packing up a house and doing overnights at the same time.

If you know me, you know I am a control freak, and while I preach "change is good", this kind of change was not easy. But, then again, any change is not easy. Like it or not, change was happening.

I immediately went into "control what you can control' mode. Packing up the house, organizing yard sales, and looking for a new home. Somewhere along the way, I said 'f*ck it". Forget trying to find a new home, move, unpack, etc. only to have to go to Vegas for 3 months for work. We will put our stuff in storage and go to Vegas and move when we wrap up those jobs.

This is the thing, when you put things out to the universe, it listens and responds.

I had been complaining about living in CA for years. Both Dave and I were born in CA, and raised in Manhattan Beach, and we continued to live in and around the South Bay for the last 50-plus years. Like many small towns, our little beach community has changed. It has become more of a “Beverly Hills”, than a beach town of Southern California. So much money has moved in. Tech companies have moved in giving some areas the title of "Silicon Beach", celebrities, sports stars, and the uber-wealthy have come in droves. It's been written up as one of the cleanest and best beaches in CA, bringing a ton of tourists. I can't say I blame them, if I didn't live here, I would 100% want to vacation here! It's beautiful, warm, clean wide beaches and so many incredible places to shop and eat that it's pretty much perfect. However, with all of that, a LOT changes. Small beach cottages from the 40's are bulldozed for massive mansions on the strand. The quaint little places that we grew up with like Joe's Candy Cottage, a tiny little chocolate shop, were all pushed out by higher rents, and more sleek restaurants and shops. Entitlement and impatience are now the standard, after time, it gets old. One thing I will tell you is that I have zero patience for entitlement. I don't care who you are or how much money you have when you park in a handicapped spot after tennis to "run" into Starbucks because you don't want to park 2 blocks away and walk. That’s where I lost it.

At the same time, I had been complaining about how small our house was, we had outgrown it years ago. Our kitchen was so small that I could wash a pot and turn around without taking a step and put it back on the stove. We had exactly 4 feet of counter space and 4 cabinets. I'm laughing now, thinking about how much crap we had accumulated over the 10 years of living there. How we managed to fit it all in this tiny house I will never know. But, it was home. Our backyard was our heaven on earth. When we got married, rather than taking a ton of money and putting it in a venue for 24 hours. We decided to put that money into the yard and get married there. We created a little heaven on earth. Veggie gardens, fruit trees, a fire pit with decomposed gravel, a hot tub made out of a horse trough, and a deck that we were married on.

If you follow me on IG, you know how much time we spend out there. But, the size of the house was starting to wear thin on us and I had become very vocal about it. I made a statement, "In 3-5 years we are moving out of CA". That became "In 2-3 years we are moving to OR.” And damn, the universe was listening.

It was almost 2 years to the date, from making that statement, that we received our 60-day notice.

My bestie Elisa, who a lot of you know from the podcast, had made the move to Jacksonville, OR about 2 years prior. I would watch her IG feed filled with open spaces, chickens, and a slower life and find myself envious. While I love what I do, the pace, the travel, and the constant change from one location to another each day was draining. I have craved a slower life for some time. I wanted off the 405 and the 101 and I wanted to slow TF down. Truth be told, we would still be there if we had not received the notice. It's amazing how complacent you get when you are comfortable and it's "easy".

We began putting our stuff in storage shortly after getting our notice, on 11/19 we closed it up one final time and drove to Vegas on the morning of 11/20.

While in Vegas, I learned my stepfather was diagnosed with Leukemia. He was given a year to live, he passed away 3 weeks later on Christmas Eve. One week later my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It was all too much.

I am not going to bore you with the details of our fears of the unknown, or the tears, and the depression. I will just say that it was WAY more than either of us was prepared for.

We decided to make the jump to OR in January. We knew people there, the cost of living was a lot less, and it was the slower life I craved. Adding, that there was the possibility of a lot of work for Dave. I knew that I would be traveling to my clients and I would figure out the rest when I got there. So, on February 5th, we packed up from our temporary housing in Vegas and made the drive to the OR! We made that journey during the storm of the century, heavy rain nearly the entire way. But

We had a place to stay and would find a home to rent when we got there. A month and a half into our time in Jacksonville, we finally found a home that both of us are kinda shocked is where we are going to be living.

Life looks a lot different these days. I am doing a lot more Zoom consults, and I have had more time to focus on the podcast (so MANY good interviews coming up!). We take the girls hiking in the tall trees of the forest trails. And when I walk, I visit with cows and goats along the way. We have met and been welcomed with open arms into our friend's circle of friends. I feel safe and loved in just a month and a half. Matt from Fine Lines, who also lives in Jacksonville, said it was a “healing place” and he was not kidding. I feel like the clouds have started to lift and I am beyond grateful for this journey as F*CKED up as it has been.

I am writing this in our old neighbor's guest house in CA that hosted our wedding reception. It's bittersweet, parking in front of our old home, watching the trees I loved swaying in the wind. Everything feels the same, and completely different at the same time. I am here to work on all of my retailer's floors. I’m making the same drive that I'd made 10,000 times on the 405 and the 101. I’m watching the Manhattan Beach socialites park in handicapped spots. Listening to people honk at others in traffic, watching them flip them off as they drive by. I’m also reading my book outside with my face in the California sunshine, walking on the beach as I used to. And, I am grateful.

I am also very grateful that I am only visiting and will return HOME to OR in just a few weeks.

I love you California, and I probably always will, but I am so breaking up with you.

xo,

Michelle

Post Magic Musings

Hello strangers!

Apologies for falling off the face. As most of you know, I was living in Vegas while setting up the new Stephen Young showroom and setting up my other 2 showrooms, Sales Producers and Art Floral Trading. I had intended to keep up with the blog and the newsletter but the universe had other plans. If you have listened to my solo this month you already know that I fell into a bit of depression from being away from my little family and it seems like a lot fell to the wayside. 

I wrapped up my travel with my last trip back to Vegas for the MAGIC Apparel Show (more on this in a minute) and while I should not be surprised, I am. I am not sure about you but it seems as if your body will do just about anything to assist you completing the tasks at hand. In this case it was the show season set ups, a trip to NY and the last trip to Vegas. All without a single illness. 

Once tasks were completed it seems by body was ready to say F*ck you lady. You are going to stay home and rest. I said this on my stories, the universe has a funny way of giving you what you have asked for. It may not come the way you would like it, but it will give it to you like it or not. I had said numerous times "I just want to stay home and read a book and magazines". Well, ask and you will receive, lol. I am finishing up the tail end of the worst flu. Thankfully it wasn't COVID. I am for the first time, listening to my body. I am resting, I am sleeping so much it's crazy but, I am not fighting it which if you know me, you know.

Enough about that...let's talk @Magicapparel! I say this all of the time, I prefer to walk the show on the first day, just look. No writing orders, just looking. and seeing what trends speak to me. This show was the first time that after walking 1/2 of it, I still could not read what was trending. 

It was an odd mix. It was like fashion was having a ADD moment & it truly felt like it was going in several different directions. Feathers were gone but sequins were everywhere. Paired with a rocker tee and tennis shoes the sequins feel fresh and fun vs "fancy" Babydoll dresses with puffy sleeves and pixy collars in sheers are still a thing. Basics seem to be missing in action.

The Yellowstone, Dolly and country music vibe was still there but nowhere as big as it was last season.

My favorite, the crochet was all but distinct.

The @Vans checkerboard vibe was everywhere from matching short sets, tees to dresses. This BTW is now my favorite. If you did the gift shows you know there was a lot of nods to this trend as well, from a background pattern on a candle to the packaging on bath products. At Burt's we will be cross merchandising the hell out of this. And, if you sell the OG checkerboard Vans, you best be making a moment of this whole vibe.

Speaking of matching sets. Get ready...they are EVERYWHERE. Yes, it's been around with the explosion of the flesh tones but let me tell you. It's a thing. So much so, that the first 3 rows of Magic, I was fighting it and by the end of the show floor, I was completely on board. There are a lot of ways to do it, for the juniors., it's all about the short set, for us more "mature", it's a pair of silk pants with a matching top. 

The smiley face is still strong from slippers to sweatshirts. While I would not buy deep, it still creates some cute cross merchandising moments that are fun and feel like summer. 

Pink. OMG...it’s still alive and it’s still everywhere. As I said last recap in the fall, I would touch on it unless you have a young and contemporary client and if so, go for it. Flesh tones and fleshy pastels are still strong. I love that they gave a break to your eye after all of the above. Cut with denim and army green they still feel fresh. Lastly, florals. Everything from Marimekko 60's vibe to ditsy liberty style prints. 

I will say this again, if you did not make it to Las Vegas Market Center for the Las Vegas Apparel Show put on by @IMC you need to add it to your list. For one, they have AMAZING amenities! Breakfast, lunch and drinks. I am not just talking a coffee and a doughnut I am talking a beautiful salad with grilled chicken, garlic bread and if you decide, a cocktail. And, if you have a sweet tooth, brownies and cookies. Not meaning to go on and on about the food but as a buyer, you know, convention food sucks and its expensive. You wait in long lines and you can never find seating so you sit in the hall on the ground (being a buyer is so glam) so yes, I feel the need to go on and on. The apparel lines are strong and a lot do not show in the west so it gave us new options and not a lot of people so you are not trying to catch someone’s attention so you can get your order scanned. Trust me. Add this show to your list.

To learn more click here. You can thank me later. 

XO,

Michelle

Before You Buy Your Spring/Summer Inventory

We hope you enjoy this edition of our guest blog, courtesy of our official podcast sponsor, OpenToBuy.co, which helps you achieve that "Retailer Rock Star" status by making everything about spending 100's of thousands of dollars on inventory each year, a whole lot easier. As you've heard me say, "knowing how to spend the money that makes you the most money is critical." And this super easy to use web app does exactly that! As one of the nation's top small business retail finance experts, this blog from their Creator and Co-Founder, Larry Hebert, is perfect for this time of year as you prep for the upcoming buying seasons, enjoy!

Oh, and by the way, if you're wanting to easily up your retail game, just use their "RWP" promo code to get 50% off your first month after your FREE 2-week trial ends. From there, it's only $49/month to always know your numbers, just head to OpenToBuy.co to get started...now let's get started with Larry's tips.

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As you transition from the fall/winter season to spring/summer here are three tips to maximize your ability to generate revenue, maintain margins and reduce unsold merchandise on the shelves.

1. HAVE AN OPEN-TO-BUY (OTB) IN PLACE
Product-based businesses selling merchandise to generate their revenue spend between 50%-70% of every dollar generated on inventory. Developing an OpenToBuy purchasing plan by creating a base inventory will provide a monthly budget for you to purchase goods and ensure you don't overbuy or underbuy which causes the same issue: Reduced cash flow and lower profits.

The base inventory is determined by the projected sales, cost of goods sold % and annual inventory turns for the store and are integral to being a successful retailer. If you're able to follow the plan you will have less unsold goods on the shelves, increase your cash flow and generate higher profits. 

2. MANAGING KEY PRODUCT CATEGORIES
An essential part of the OTB plan is to identify and manage your key product categories generating the MOST revenue. This is based on the % of sales from each category of the overall sales and related Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) related to these sales. Creating an OpenToBuy for each category will ensure you maximize your inventory investment by having the proper amount in each area based on their % of overall sales.

Traditionally, 6-8 product categories generate 75%-85% or more of a store's revenue and are the areas needing to be managed. Everything else is Miscellaneous. You DO NOT need to follow every category in the store but only the one's totalling 75%-85% of the sales. When you are able to do this you will increase sales revenue by having ample product in key product categories and reduce non-selling inventory, thus increasing gross profit margins and cash flow by having less to place on sale to move. 

3. MOVE SEASONAL & NON-SELLING MERCHANDISE
As you come to the end of one season and enter the next, it's important to begin the process of moving these goods by placing them on sale to encourage customers to purchase and get off your shelves. This is done by reducing the price to entice customers to buy and ensure you do not have "old" merchandise as you enter a new season. Keeping "old" goods reduces your OpenToBuy purchasing power since it's dependent on a base inventory level that will be higher if product is not moved and allows you to purchase less "new" inventory for the upcoming season. Lastly, selling products at a lower price allows you to use the funds for new goods that you will be able to sell at the full retail price, thus increasing your cash flow and profitability.  

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If you've enjoyed this guest blog from Larry Hebert and OpenToBuy.co, head over to OpenToBuy.co to sign up for their e-newsletter filled with ways to ensure you're always on top of your numbers and sign up for their 2 week FREE trial, and just use the "RWP" promo code to get 50% off your first month after your FREE 2-week trial ends. From there, it's only $49/month to always know your numbers.

10 Easy Tips to Fast Track Your Financial Health for 2023!

To be a successful business owner you need to be involved with the financial planning for 2023 and review of 2022 to better understand the trajectory of your business, how you performed vs 2022’s plan and make informed decisions for 2023. Below are ten recommendations as you begin 2023 and plan for a successful year.

My podcast sponsor, OpenToBuy.co's Co-Founder, Larry Hebert has assembled the best of the best in terms of advice to make stale inventory a thing of the past, owners' draws increasing and your overall cash flow growing to have a STELLAR 2023! For the video version of this blog, just head to their site's VLOG page to get the goods and sign up for Larry's eblasts that are packed full of gems and gold nuggets to make the financial side of your business shine.

TOP 10 TIPS COMING YOUR WAY

1. Meet with your accountant - Review 2022 results before you begin the financial planning process for 2023. See the results of the operation: revenue, cost of goods, gross profit margin, operating expenses and net income. These will be a key component in planning your 2023 forecast.

2. 2023 cash flow and P/L forecast – based on your 2022 results and new strategies you have developed, create a path for success in 2023. Enter in your anticipated revenue, operating expenses and all non-operating expense cash expenditures (draws, loan principal payments, capital investments, etc., along with additional cash infusions other than operations (loans, personal funds, investors). Look at the projected profitability and ending cash 12/31/23. Make any changes needed and once you arrive at your goal create a strategy to execute the financial plan.

3. Make financial goals for 2023 – identify clear financial goals you want to accomplish (profitability, ending cash, Gross Profit Margin %, etc.).

4. Create an OpenToBuy (OTB) Purchasing Plan – Product based businesses on an annual basis spend between 50%-70%+ on inventory. Developing an OTB plan by creating a base inventory and specifying the annual turns will provide a pathway to success for product-based companies. The OTB will specify how much inventory can be purchased each month and monitor it so retail businesses do not over or underbuy which impact both cash flow and profitability.

5. Key Product Category Management – An essential part of the OTB plan to ensure investment in inventory is maximized, is allocating dollars to the top Product Categories based on their % of overall sales. When this is done cash flow and profitability increases as you will not over or underbuy in your key categories. Based on client analysis 6-8 Product Categories generate 75%-90% of the business’s revenue. When these are managed properly the business has a better annual inventory rate and less “bad” inventory on the shelves.

6. Determine 2022 Annual Inventory Turns – This is a critical metric for a retail business. The better the annual turn the less inventory you need on the shelves to meet your projected revenue goals. This is determined by taking inventory totals on the 1st day of a month for 4, 6 or 12 months, add these inventory figures together and divide by the number you used. Then divide this average inventory number into the Cost of Goods Sold for the 2022 and you will obtain your Inventory Turn Rate. Although there are industry exceptions (jewelry stores average turn is 1.6 annually) the average retail store should turn their inventory 3-4 times per year with 4, or every 90 days, being ideal. If you turn significantly more than 4, you’re missing sales and you can’t replace the goods quickly enough. If you turn less than 3 you have too much inventory that is not “moving”. Both turning too quickly or not enough result in the same issue, lower cash and less profitability.

7. Move Seasonal and Non-Moving Product – It’s essential to move seasonal and non- moving products in January and February prior to bringing in new items. This generates cash to pay current bills and invest in new merchandise that can be sold at full price. If you don’t your inventory will increase, and annual turns will reduce significantly cash flow and profitability.

8. Take a Physical Inventory at the end of 2022 – It’s critical to take a physical inventory and rectify with your POS system to ensure you begin 2023 knowing exactly how much you have on-hand. Inventory shrinkage and mistakes in recording purchases or sales can happen which all impact inventory. Knowing the exact amount will ensure your OTB is correct, and financials reflect your position accurately. This should be done twice a year and ideally every quarter. But at the very least the end of each year

9. Pay Down High Interest Debt with Holiday Cash – With the substantial influx of cash during the holidays more businesses are in the best cash position of the year. For the three months leading up to 1/1 many use high interest credit cards or other means to finance their debt and ensure they have product to sell for the holiday. Many interest rates can be 18%-26% and will significantly decrease your profitability. Create a plan using holiday cash flow to pay these high interest obligations down as quickly as possible using the 2023 forecasted cash flow and P/L outlined above.

10. Take your Banker to Lunch – A critical partner you have in your business is your banker. They are the key to business and a source of continual financing throughout the year. Show them the results of 2022 and your financial plan and for 2023. They want to be a part of your success and without banks most businesses could not grow, and in some instances cease to exist. Make them a part of your team and encourage them to provide their expertise and ideas on how to grow your business profitably.

Out with The Old. In with The New.

As we head into a new year the question comes up a lot in my meetings with retailers, what is your opinion on sale?
Well....I have a LOT of opinions. 
YES, YES and YES you absolutely need to do a sale. It needs to be big, meaty and slashed prices. Yes, slashed. Like starting at 50%. You want to move it and move it fast. Yes, I know you are thinking that you can sell it for more and yes, probably but it will take you 10 times longer to turn your inventory if you start at 20% or 30%. You want to move it and move it fast before your new fresh spring inventory starts to arrive. 

Yes, it needs to be BIG and MEATY. Why? Abundance attracts people. Why do you think Anthropologie sets it up in the front? Racks and racks of apparel, tables of home merchandise, bins overflowing with smalls, furniture, lighting, home decor, allll of it gets dragged up to the front so its front and center from the door. Make space somewhere close to the front and create a sale area. No, it won't be pretty but it's only here for 2 weeks or so. Keep it all together in one area.
Anything you have had on your floor for longer than 4 months with a low sell through (20-30%) should be included.
I have gone into stores and when asking them how old something was I am blown away that often the answer is "oh, I don't know? A few years?"
No, I am not kidding. One was a high end spa that was convinced that it would sell at some point. 
No. No it won't.

To quote Dan Jablons of ‘The Retail Smart Guys’ "old inventory is not like cheese, it does not get better with age" (listen to Dan's podcast episode here.) You want to sell it, get what you can back from your initial investment and put it towards new inventory.

That and keeping old inventory makes your new inventory look unimportant because your customers remember that cargo jacket with sequins from the last 2 seasons. Re-merchandising it with your new dresses is not going to make it sell, it's just going to make your new dresses look crappy. Customers will actually walk right by it because they recognize the old item and just assume everything on that rack is old. 

Rip the Band-Aid off and throw it on a sale rack.

Signage is key. However, steer away from that shitty little red sign sold at supply places online. Get creative, utilize your window and space above the section you have set up. Rolling racks should have a sign on each one and it should say the discounted amount for that rack 50% etc...Just make sure it clearly says sale.

Send out an email, post it on your SM, go on stories and show the cute stuff on sale. EVERYDAY, consistency is key here! Having an employee show their favorite item on sale and talking about it gets them involved and keeps your feed fun all the while getting out the word. Treat it like a party, balloons, gift with purchase, loud fun music, spin the wheel for additional discounts or a chance to win a $20 gift card to the store (because you know they will spend more when they use it.)

I like sales to be front and forward for about 2 weeks. Hopefully it has shrunk and you can move it to the back somewhere. You also want to drop the prices again for the final push. This means 75% off. At Fred Segal we had a sale 2x a year. It started at 50% and 3 weeks later it dropped to 75% and at 6 weeks it was gone and a brand new sparkling space was created to usher in the new season.

Go ahead, rip off the Band-Aid. 
xo,
M

12 Gifts I’m Giving & Wanting

It's my favorite time of year, the smells, the music and the gifts. I am someone who loves to give. It makes me so happy and while I may go over the top sometimes, it's something that gives me joy. I know it may make some people uncomfortable and feel like they need to reciprocate but that is not the reason I do it.

Honestly, being in this industry I am around amazing things all day. I work for some amazing retailers that have incredible curated selections and the showrooms I work in, well, you know, have some of the best lines out there. 

When I think of things I love to give and want to get, they are pretty simple but are all something I am obsessed with. So, for the first time, I am doing a gift guide, based on just that. What I want to give and definitely what I want to get. We are including the shop's links so you can go directly to them or if you sell any of these items, give one to yourself.

Go ahead, you deserve it.

Gifts to Give!

1-Charcuterie board from @WaitingonMarthahome. Based out of Atlanta, Mandy Kellog Rye has created one of the most beloved stores in Georgia. Incredibly curated and gorgeously merchandised, it's a delight to shop ( I know, I have been there each time we work in Atlanta) Mandy created this charcuterie board to make it easy on any hostess to create a IG worthy spread.

2-If you know me, you know I love snark and F bombs. The hot mitts from @BlueQ are and have been some of my favorites. @KingfisherRoad has one of the biggest collections. Dishtowels and hot mitts in tons of styles and are perfectly paired with any tabletop item or pantry item.

3-Hot habanero honey from @thespicysister.ca. I love giving pantry gifts. I think for someone who has everything, these make the most perfect gift. Often it is something they won't buy themselves, but will most definitely devour and share with others. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. This small batch women-owned line has something for anyone who loves a kick of spice.

4-One of my favorite trends is the camp/outdoor concept. These amazing @fahertybrand Sherpa throws are not only a great gift for guys, they are one of the most comforting things to throw around yourself at home. I travel with mine so no matter where I am, I feel like I am at home. Available from one of our favorite retailers @sergeandjane 

5-What do you give the fashionista who has everything? The Iris coloring book from @bdazzled is the perfect item! Pair it up with a cute marker set and a gift card to her favorite boutique & TA-DA, gift giving perfection!

6-I love the idea of giving gifts that will start someone's year off to the right start. My friend and client, Ashlan from @musehouseretreat has created a beautiful manifestation candle collection. While there are a few choices like love and protection, I like to start someone's year off with the manifestation of prosperity. 

This list is based on what I would give but, more importantly what I want to GET

GIFTS TO GET!

1-You know I love a well dropped F Bomb, so what better way to celebrate a not so great morning than with this cute mug? You can find this one and a whole lotta other cute and snarky gifts at my new favorite shop @womanowned.wallet

2-I said that one of my favorite things about holiday is the smells and this candle is my go to. I start burning this in September and it instantly transports me to holiday. @frasierfir is a cult favorite, if you don't sell it you can buy it online from one of my favorite clients @maisona. Andrea carries several sizes in several different vessels. Don't wait too long because they sell out fast!

3-It's no secret that I love me a long hot bath. I am not a heavy perfume girl. I love something that is light smelling and creamy. This updated coconut milk bath soak from @gavinluxe is my new go-to. I buy 3 at a time because let's be real, this time of year is stressful and it always packs a powerful punch on the body. I need something to both calm me down as well as help my muscles recoup. I promise you, it WORKS!

4-Speak your mind! These amazing sweatshirts from @womanowned.wallet are not only cute but tell people what you believe in and  how you roll. With lots of different sayings you are sure to please the feminist in your life.

5-I am allllll about the mush so give me a jacket, blanket or scarf that makes me feel warm and cozy and I am here for it! My favorite is the beach wrap from our friends at @urbangirlaccessories. So many good colors it's hard to choose from but lucky for you, at $85.00 you can get more than one!

6 - If you know me, you know I love my arm stack. You can never have enough as far as I’m concerned. They have become my signature look whether I’m in leggings or dressed to go out. I love @brentwoodgeneralstores beaded bracelet because they make them in house with love.

xo

M

MC Design Academy

I've dripped water on this over social media, here on the blog and on the podcast but I thought I'd share some of how it's been going as well as some behind the scenes stuff.

MC Design Academy will be a subscription based platform to teach retailers and others how to create Anthropologie worthy displays through merchandising. 

From floor sets to jewelry cases and tabletops. I will be teaching how to set your architecture on your tables to creating easy and cost effective window displays. I plan on having guests teach what they are known for like displays or other things like open to buy information. I want this to be fun, informative and I want the subscribers to see it happen in real time. I have been filming a lot up north in my client, Andrea's Maison A shop. She is an amazing buyer and has allll the props and contextual elements that you need to create these types of displays. We are also showing real issues like "what do I do with these last 3 items" or "I have too much to fit into this bookcase". Real challenges that will have real solutions. I am not pre-setting and then striking it down only to film the "perfected" version. The merchandising is done in real time, with real amounts of inventory and real challenges that come up. The viewer gets to see how I solved the problem or challenge.

The real challenge has been filming. I can't film in all of my jobs and most of the time, I don't have the luxury of time. I have to be in another location the following day and need to work fast. Merchandising in front of a camera doesn't happen fast. There are a lot of starts and stops, batteries run low, like really fast, sunlight is not right, too much reflection or either the display or myself are facing the wrong direction and you can't see myself or the product because of said reflection.

Because this is being bankrolled by me, things like shade covers or day time lighting equipment I can't afford to purchase right now. I am literally working my ass off to pay for this project. I buy things like the gimble (the thing that steadies the camera when it's moving) when I finish big jobs. I am lucky to have a husband and a friend who were both in the business and understand what you need to do in order to get a shot but sometimes what you need is the piece of equipment that we don't own yet. We own cameras, mics, a million memory cards, 5 charging docs (they really run out fast) , a gimble and some lighting. 

The other challenge is I have ZERO idea what I am doing. Yes, I can teach merchandising with my eyes closed but, I don't know how to build a curriculum or create lesson plans. In typical Michelle form, I say I am going to do something and I just do it, I literally jump. If I don't know how, I will learn (you know I have a podcast right? Same thing happened there).

This is VERY different. Mid way through filming it hit me that this scares THE FUCK out of me. Mostly because I can't fake it till I make it. I have almost quit this 5 times. Cried to Dave in frustration. Why am I working so hard at something when I could just focus on the @theretailwhorepodcast, that is becoming so successful? Why am I making more work for myself?

Well, I'll tell you why. Because no one else is doing it. Yes, there are others who teach merchandising but it's with perfect amounts of product and not in a store environment. Who is going to learn like that? The retailer is sitting in their stores with a million SKU’s and you just showed them what to do with 4 of them. 

I don't want to wake up and kick myself for not doing this, I don't want to go on IG and see that someone else has created this and it's blowing up because retailers are starving to learn and change their stores. I know this because of how many of you reach out to me on my IG, I know because you tell me every day and thank me for showing what my process is.

So, I won't quit. I am bringing on someone that was on the ground floor of Shopify, she has a lot to do with who they are today. She knows retail inside and out, she understands the industry and she knows a hella lot of people. She will also be managing me, why? Because I need to be managed for something like this. As she told me in one of our first meetings "you need to book your project like you book your clients, months in advance and keep to the schedule". And guess what, she's right. I do that but, (and I hate "buts") my work is what's paying for all of this so I need to work. I just need to balance both and be realistic on time frame. I have to laugh because when I made the decision to jump into this I boldly stated it would be out in the fall of this year. HA, try Fall 2023 and even that is questionable. I need to be realistic with my jobs that are on the books and yes, schedule time around them. I also don't need to say yes to every job (see post on people pleasing) I can say no to someone and say yes to my project just as if it was another client. I also can loosen the grip on what I think is an acceptable timeline. I am headed into the busiest time of the year- holiday and show set up season. I need to be gentle with myself, it will get done and god damn it, it’s going to be FUCKING AMAZING.

#retail #retaileducation #retailmerchcandising #retaildesign #retaildisplay #merchandising #display #design #educationalplatform #teachingretailers #merchandisingcoach 

Shit is About to Get Real

If you know me, you know the holidays are my favorite time of the year. The music, the lights, the smells…alllll of it! As I write this, I am playing Christmas carols and burning my @thymes Frasier Fir candle. It's a weird dichotomy, all of these things bring me comfort & they equal home to me, however, it also gives me MAJOR anxiety because it means I will soon be doing overnights for @bristolfarms and then going to set up my regular retailers holiday merchandising and decor. Adding to this, I have Stephen Young's new showroom in Vegas that is thrown into the mix as well.

My days will look a little like this:

Going to bed at 5 or 6pm. 

Blackout curtains are a must in order to get to sleep when it's still light out. 

Thank god daylight savings starts literally the night before we start setups. 

Our alarm goes off at 11:30 pm

Get up, have coffee like it's the morning.

Drive to one of the 14 locations, deck the halls

Wrap it up around 5am and drive to either the SY showroom DTLA (January show set up starts now) or to one of my retailers to set their holiday.

Wrap up and head home.

The trick for me in order to actually be able to go to sleep at that stupid early hour is to not go home after Bristol Farms, but to stay awake. By the time I get home, I am so ready to sleep. It gets easier after the first 2 nights. All along, I will be playing my Christmas carols and burning my candle. It's what keeps me in the mood and to be honest, keeps me going. We wrap up just before Thanksgiving. 

If you feel like following along, check out my stories. You can see all the madness first hand as well as watch the bags under my eyes get darker with each day.

xo,

M

A Day in The Life

A few people have reached out and asked what a typical day is like for me so, I thought it would be fun to bring you into a day in the life.

I start most of my jobs at 6am so my alarm goes off at 4:00 am. No, my husband does not get up with me, he will stay in bed with our oldest dog, Peanut ( yes, they sleep with us, much to my dismay) Matilda and Mouse will come out and we all go into the kitchen so I can let them outside. While they are outside I will make a coffee or one of my Arbonne fizz drinks. The girls come back in and I will let them back in bed with Dave. I’ve been trying desperately not to open up IG or my emails first thing in the morning, I find it’s not the best way to start my day but somehow I end up still doing it. My best days start with my gratitude practice, journaling and pulling an angel card or a spirit animal card. Yes, I am that ‘woo woo’ person. I find that they are incredibly inspiring and I love the thought of my angels looking over me.

I will get dressed and head out on the road. Most, if not all of my clients are in the valley, which means I am on the freeways ALOT. If I have a new set up, I will start at the flower market in downtown LA to pick up anything from jars to fresh cuts. This time of the year the fresh cuts are tall oak limbs from the east coast, berry bushes etc... It’s always so inspiring just to walk through and look at everything. I will often get new ideas from walking the vendors based on what they have brought in. Even though its 6am It always feels like its 10 in the morning with the amounts of people shopping, drinking coffee and socializing. I load my car and head back on to the freeway. Once at the job site, I will offload and walk the store floor. 
While walking the floor, I am looking for holes in vignettes, sell through on stock, what’s new and how shopworn the displays are. If the new merchandise is not placed yet, I will walk the stockroom. I am looking for both the new as well as stock levels that are not on the floor. Often, I will bring more out if we have it available. I am also looking for any props that we can use or reinvent.  Once I have seen everything I will lay out a plan and break it down by how many days I am on site. At that point I am ready to go. I have a very distinct way I attack floor shifts. It’s calculated and it’s from my days at Anthro. I find that it’s the most efficient when you are shifting an entire vignette.

First. I decide where we are starting & I will off load all of the smalls on to a counter or pop up tables. Then I will take any props out and fixtures that we are not going to be using. Once that space is clear, I will clean it down, sweep etc... Nothing is worse than starting with a dirty space. I will re-set the floor with the fixtures and then set the architecture of the tables. This is the most important part, setting the architecture is what starts to tell the story. I talk a lot about this, storytelling in your vignettes. Who lives here, what do they do? Is it a pantry section? Scales, crates, cutting boards, sheet pans etc... all create height and tell the story. Once that is set, I will start building in the inventory from the floor and the stock room. 
The last part of the vignette are the fresh cuts. Pop those in and move on to placing the merchandise on the counter to their new homes. The big stuff is done and the floor is clear so I am calling it a wrap for the day.

Because I start so early, I usually get back on the road around 2 or so, hopefully missing traffic. Once home, I will answer any emails, calls and tend to my very long list of to-dos. The Retail Whore podcast is 100% funded by MC Design Collaboration so often I am recording in the late afternoons or early evening. I am not at the point yet where I can dedicate one or two days to just recording. I have balance the two with MC being the priority. That is sometimes a challenge because it means I literally have to change hats and turn into the host, bubbly and “on” and sometimes, especially during holiday season or gift show set up time it’s a struggle.

If I am recording Dave will get dinner started and after my interview wraps up, we will sit in the backyard and enjoy the rest of the day together. Our backyard has become our oasis, often I don’t even want to come inside. I just want to sit under the umbrella and read or go through magazines for inspiration. I started to call our house an Airbnb because I know if I was staying in an Airbnb that had a yard this big, I would spend every moment possible out there. That mindset has completely changed the way I look at our yard. Dinner and an early bedtime is how my day ends. I have to be in bed early because it all starts again the next day at 4am.

Cheers

M

#dayinthelife #merchandisinglife #merchandising #design #display #visualmerchandising #retail #retaildesign #retaildisplay #storedesign #storedisplay #retailmerchandising #merchandiser

No More Plastic Risers (insert Joan Crawford Voice)

Last Friday's IG post was about my rule of no plastic risers on my retailers floors. 
Harsh?
Maybe?
But here is the thing...Those crappy little plastic things have a job to do. However, 99% of the retailers that use them, use them without knowing how to REALLY use them. 
Yes, they create. height. But when I see them on retailer’s floors, most of the time what 's holding up is smaller than the riser itself, only showcasing the riser.

I know you know what I am talking about. Then what happens is someone in the store thinks everything needs to be on these little clear bastards and next thing you know, literally everything is on a riser and guess what, all you still see is the clear plastic riser. Merchandising is all about storytelling. Anthropologie is brilliant at storytelling, that's why we all love to shop there for inspiration. Clear plastic risers are a big giant non-negotiable at Anthro. The risers are all part of the storytelling. Here is your challenge, go out on to your sales floor. Look at where you are using these (you know you are so don’t act like you aren't) Is it the tabletop area? Is it kitchen tools? Is it in personal care? 
Now think about what everyday items could you raise this merchandise with that will help tell a story, give it a lifestyle feeling?

Garden areas can use pavers, clay pots turned upside down, bricks and cut pieces of 2x4

Kitchen areas can use canned goods with the label taken off, boxes of interesting pasta, old crates, old cookbooks from salvation army, old cookbooks that are not selling in your store.

Personal care and bath departments can use glass bricks, clear jars filled with cotton balls turned upside down, small baskets painted white.

Gift and home can use old books with the sleeve taken off (tip, show the pages not the book title), bricks and pavers, cutting boards, wood slices, old crates.

So many options and all are cost effective and all help tell a story! 

Cheers,

M

CANISTERS

CARDBOARD INDUSTRIAL BINS FOR LARGE SCALE RISERS

BOOKS

OLD BOOKS OR BOOKS FROM THRIFT SHOPS COLORED OUT

SCALE

FOUND OBJECTS LIKE OLD SCALES

#design #display #merchandising #visualmerchandising #merchandiser #retail #gifts #apparel #retaildesign #retaildisplay #storedesign #storedisplay #showroomdesign #retailconsultant #VM #details #decor #mcdesigncollaboration #retailmerchandising #showroomdesign #showroomdisplay #mcdesigncollaboration

Magic Recap

Most of you know that I buy for some of my retailers and for Burt's Pharmacy. I buy both apparel and gifts. Truth be known, apparel is their number 1 department. We purchase from DTLA (Downtown Los Angeles) in the cash and carry district as well MAGIC Las Vegas. While MAGIC, is much tamer than it used to be, it still has a major WOW factor, and let me tell you, this season did not disappoint! There were so many different vibes, it felt like fashion was fun again! Feathers, fringe, smiley faces, pattern mixing etc... it felt like the last few pandemic years were behind us.

Here are some of my favorites!

The Pendleton and camp feel was still huge. I for one, am planning on cross merchandising it with gifts. It's the perfect cross merchandising moment for the bark Himalayan candles, ‘How to Build a Fire’ book and s’mores kits. Big, oversized, plaid shackets, Pendleton-style Navajo prints, plaid long sleeve shirts for layering, denim jackets with plaid sleeves, camp themed tees...I am here for all of it.

Pink continues to drive the fashion and junior markets. While Burt's does not have a super young customer, I still feel strongly about showing a couple of pieces. We wrote up some sweaters with pops of pink, some great pink plaid with denim details and my favorite, the cropped pink puffer. While fashion trends will lean towards something, I still believe it's best to buy for your demographic. With that being said, I think it's important to take small risks and bring in some of the "trending" styles or colors. As a buyer, it's our job to test and take some risks, otherwise you will never know if your customer will buy that color or style. Don't play it too safe!

Fun details, like a smiley face, were everywhere, from slippers to sweatshirts. I love that fashion feels fun again and this trend is something everyone can wear. It makes the perfect 4th quarter gift and you can cross merchandise back to it in so many ways! We will be merchandising it back to fun mugs from Talking Out of Turn and the fun flavored candy bars in bright colors from Hammonds.

Crochet and embroidery details were HUGE! Sleeve details, backs of denim jackets, beanie embroidery were just a few of my favorites. Anthropologie did a concept around this the last time crochet and embroidery made the rounds. They incorporated gifts as well and it had a hippie folkloric feel to it. 

I am so excited to roll out Fall this year. So much newness and so many fun ways to show it all! Looking forward to see how you all interpret the trends this season!

Cheers,
M

#design #display #merchandising #visualmerchandising #merchandiser #retail #gifts #apparel #retaildesign #retaildisplay #storedesign #storedisplay #showroomdesign #retailconsultant #VM #details #decor #mcdesigncollaboration #retailmerchandising #showroomdesign #showroomdisplay #mcdesigncollaboration

That is a Wrap!

Praise God! My show season of set ups and buying is complete! I have one final show to do as a buyer, and that will be Magic August 9th.  After that, I can put it all to bed! Below are some highlights from the past few months of setup.

That being said, I will be returning to Vegas every month from September through January for Stephen Young.

Yes, the rumors are true, Stephen is setting up shop in Vegas! The showroom will be on the 11th floor and I will be heading up the display and merchandising. While exciting, it's also exhausting and overwhelming at the same time! Living on and off in Vegas will be a challenge. Being away from my husband and dogs is hard on me, especially during the holidays.

But for now, I am home and refocusing on my retailers and a whole new slew of interviews for the podcast. Being home will also mean being able to slow down, sleep in, love up on my little family, catch up on my reading and listening to my favorite podcasts.

Curious what I’m listening to? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter. My TOP 5 podcast list will be in the August newsletter that sends on 8/1.

xo,

M

#design #display #merchandising #visualmerchandising #merchandiser #retail #gifts #apparel #retaildesign #retaildisplay #storedesign #storedisplay #showroomdesign #retailconsultant #VM #details #decor #mcdesigncollaboration #retailmerchandising #showroomdesign #showroomdisplay #mcdesigncollaboration

Show Season

We are mid show season and I am gearing up to attend the Atlanta Gift Show and the Vegas Gift show. I haven't been to the Atlanta show in years, like 8 to be exact. While I am in that building several times a year, I unfortunately am not there during the show. My job is to set up the showrooms for Peking Handicraft and Art Floral Trading so I am there, months prior to the actual show. I am super excited to attend! I thought this would be a good idea to give you a little peek inside on how I do the shows! 

Pre show:   

I am a huge fan of reports. It's no secret that I believe that they are your bible and there is some serious magic in the numbers. I will pull reports a week or so beforehand so I can look at what's driving my business as well as, what's not driving my business. I will also look at our open stock reports. This is a non-negotiable as far as I am concerned. Not looking at my sales would be like walking through the show with a blindfold on.  I will also walk my floors, to how each concept is holding up. Are we over some concept?  Have some stopped selling? If so, what am I dropping so I don't waste precious time looking for things we are not moving forward with? I will make a list based on the reports and the sales floor of what we need as well as listing what holidays I am buying for and set my delivery dates before I even arrive at the show. There is nothing worse than standing in a booth looking at your phone for your calendar and trying to decide when you want to bring something in. On the fly. 

I plan my wardrobe and make sure I have backups in case I get there and I hate what I chose (don't laugh, it's happened multiple times🙄). I also will pack a box of bars to keep with me so I don’t become hangry. Eating at the shows is always challenging for me. I don't really eat fast food and there are not a lot of options for healthy meals at most shows so it's important to keep something with me.

Lastly, pre-register! You do not want to wait in line, trust me!

First day of show:                                                                                                                                                                                               

Both Atlanta and Vegas are huge campuses so I will spend my first day just walking and looking at what's trending, what holiday looks like etc...I also like to get the lay of the land before I start to order. It's important so you are not criss-crossing through the buildings. I will run a list of who I want to come back to and what floor and building they are in (this one is important when there are 3 buildings). I will also take photos of specific items that I see as trending with the thought of curating new concepts.  The reason I don't write the first day anymore is because I have found that if I start right out of the gate writing orders, by day 3 I am cancelling orders because I have found something I like better. It's a pain in the ass and unfair to the reps.

Day 2-5

These are the days that I write. While I am writing I am also building concepts. I will photograph most of what I purchased so when I see something that I feel like goes well I will cross reference the photos to whatever I am looking at. It's important that not only the product fits in the concept, it's crucial that the packaging flows as well. I will make notes of props that we will need as well as photograph displays that I love or find inspiring.

Each night, I sit with the PO's and allocate or make notes for where it's going and what concept it's falling into. I will also build a delivery board with the delivery dates of the PO's and how much has been spent. I am a fanatic on knowing what I have spent and I need to know that my buys are balanced in the sense of dollars going out and how much product is coming in.

I worked for someone who shall remain nameless but her philosophy was to bring it all in ASAP. This was way before the supply chain issue so before you think that was smart, it wasn't. What happened was, everything came in at the same time. Duh, yes, ASAP but guess what, it was all holidays. Valentine’s Day, Easter, 4th of July etc...and it was also our everyday gifts. ALL OF IT. And guess what, it all sat in a storage unit till the holidays were rolled out. This is a shit ton of dollars going out all at the same time that is all going to sit till that specific holiday rolls around. So no surprise that every time she walked into that storage unit she would become anxious and stressed. She would start reasoning why we should bring out certain holidays months before it was near. The sheer site of thousands of dollars stacked up, not going anywhere is enough to stress anyone out. 

Don't stress yourself out, don't let your dollars just sit there. Use delivery windows and with the supply chain issues, put a cancellation date on your order. If not, you are sure to receive Christmas goods in January.

You can thank me later.

Cheers,

M

#design #display #merchandising #visualmerchandising #merchandiser #retail #gifts #apparel #retaildesign #retaildisplay #storedesign #storedisplay #showroomdesign #retailconsultant #VM #details #decor #mcdesigncollaboration #retailmerchandising #showroomdesign #showroomdisplay #mcdesigncollaboration

Balance

I am headed into my crazy time. I have started gift show set ups that will take me through mid-August. I would usually have some down time, but it seems this year it's not going to happen. Stephen Young is opening up in the Las Vegas Market Center and I will be heading it up with his wife Lisa. This showroom opening in this building is going to be huge for the gift industry. If you know the SY showroom, then you know the level of display and perfection that goes along with his name. It's a huge undertaking and I am so excited to be a part of it. 

Opening a showroom of this size and scale is going to take months and take me well into next January. We officially start in September, pair that with holiday set ups for my clients and the podcast etc...I am looking at a packed Q4. 

I know from past experiences if I am not careful, I will quickly lose all sense of balance.  This year I am looking at things differently. I have to. One of the biggest shifts in mindset for me is treating my backyard like an Airbnb. I know that sounds weird but we developed our backyard to have our wedding in it almost 3 years ago. There is a vegetable garden, fruit trees, a galvanized tub that my hubs converted into a hot tub (yes, it gets up to 104 degrees!), and there is a deck with a dining table and chairs, teak lounge chairs under umbrellas in the grass as well as a fire pit. I know that if I was staying in an Airbnb that had all of this, I would be outside every day, having coffee, reading under the umbrellas and working at the dining table. I would be doing what I could just to be outside enjoying all of this. So, why, when we live here, do we not utilize it as much as I would if it was someone else's?

So now, anytime I am working from home, I am going to start going outside and pretend I am on vacation. I am dragging out the laptop, sitting amongst the trees, listening to the sound of birds singing and finding balance right outside my back door.

Cheers,
M

#design #display #merchandising #visualmerchandising #merchandiser #retail #gifts #apparel #retaildesign #retaildisplay #storedesign #storedisplay #showroomdesign #retailconsultant #VM #details #decor #mcdesigncollaboration #retailmerchandising #showroomdesign #showroomdisplay #mcdesigncollaboration

Wake Up Call

I am officially in show mode. Last week started in Atlanta for showroom set ups for 2 accounts. One is very small, a window display and a small shift. The other is the massive. Peking Handicrafts showroom is about 10,000 square feet. While not the biggest showroom I work in, it is the biggest to try and do in a week. Usually we have about 7 days, this trip was only 5, really 4 1/2, if you count travel time.  

With all of the supply chain issues, the new introductions were very small and on top of it, the July show is usually slower. However, the workload does not change. The showroom still has to be completely changed for the show. We retailers (remember, I also wear the buyers hat) need to see new merchandise and new displays. It's what we get so excited about and gives us inspiration to take back to our stores

But cutting off, even for one day for a job this big, is CHALLENGING.

Day 1.  We head to the showroom, suitcases in hand, to create a game plan. At this point, I have already had calls and know what new introductions are planned but there is a whole lot you forget from one show set up to the next, so I go in the day before the real work starts to set a plan. I will walk the showroom, make notes on what we are shifting and where & what new displays we are building so Dave can measure etc... and we start tearing down. What does tearing down mean or look like? It's pretty much taking every little bit of display down. Pendant lights, plants, floating display pieces, focal furniture. Pretty much everything but the floating walls. Once that is done and organized, I start pulling the pillows off the walls and staging them outside the showroom in groups (camp, coastal, tween, holiday etc...) as we display them. THANK GOD that when we do these setups, we are in a part of the building that does not have a lot of foot traffic. If you could only see the number of pillows lining the showroom hall, you would be shocked. I am talking about hundreds of pillows. I do about 14,000 steps on tear down day, back and forth across the showroom, pulling pillows and piling them up. 

Day 2 starts with the build-up and trips to Home Depot, Ikea and Hobby Lobby for supplies and props and back to the showroom to continue what we started.

Day 3-5 are spent re building up the showroom, building fixtures from scratch, painting walls and doing the displays. It's a monumental amount of work in 7 days but in 5, it's truly an undertaking. But guess what? We did it! A lot of long days as well as a few cut corners but we did it and it's show ready for July! (If you attend, please tell me what you think! I'm pretty proud of it!)

This is where the wake-up call comes in....as you know, show season is only 2x a year. I spend months designing and setting up showrooms and when Las Vegas is complete I turn into a buyer again and do the show as a buyer not a merchandiser. Once I have finished, I am on to the next project, have magically forgotten how tired I was, how my feet and back hurt from both walking and standing on concrete all day long. You forget about the hours, lack of days off etc. You literally forget. 

And then WHAM... after your first set up, you remember...Oh yeah, it's show season. Again.

Cheers,

M

#design #display #merchandising #visualmerchandising #merchandiser #retail #gifts #apparel #retaildesign #retaildisplay #storedesign #storedisplay #showroomdesign #retailconsultant #VM #details #decor #mcdesigncollaboration #retailmerchandising #showroomdesign #showroomdisplay #mcdesigncollaboration

Trust The Universe

For those who know me, you know I am "woo woo", I am 100% that girl. I believe in crystals for healing and bringing energy to specific things. I pull tarot cards and angel cards in the morning. I burn sage in my office. I have crystals on the dashboard of my car. I am THAT person. It shouldn't be a surprise that a few of my clients are crystal stores or that I did the styling on the Energy Muse girls first book Crystal Muse.  I wholeheartedly believe that the universe puts things in your pathway in order for you to see if you will go around something or face it directly. So, when last week's filming came to a crashing halt, I should have known. You see, we were filming during mercury retrograde. 

What does that mean? 

Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion which means it looks as if the planet is moving backwards from our view here on earth. Astrologers believe that during this perceived backwards motion, technology and communication could get disrupted, putting a damper on anyone's summer mood. 

NOTE: technology and communication. 

Two things we are attempting to do and the universe was definitely sending a message.

I am in the early stages of building a subscription based platform teaching retailers how to do displays and merchandise. There are a few people doing this, but the difference is, they are teaching it with the perfect amount of merchandise, the perfect architecture and not in a retail setting. I am teaching these classes in a retail store, with real levels of inventory and real life scenarios, for example, "what do I do with the last few pieces of this?" or "none of this makes sense, how do I create a display around it?" In order to do this, I am re-merchandising my client’s floors at the same time we are filming it and am explaining it all as we go. We will be filming content for over a year & covering each holiday. I will be teaching retailers everything I have learned for the past 40+ years. Window displays, tabletops, display cases, cross merchandising, apparel etc. You name it. I will be covering it. 

Day one of filming: I can see our photographer is not in a good place. He is anxious and upset about something but says he will be fine. His anxiety is feeding my anxiety but the show must go on so we start to film. My husband is also here, working with us,  filming on a second camera and covering different angles that camera #1 does not see. 
A few hours into filming, I can see our photographer is not going to be ok, so I suggest he just head home.  At this point, it's actually better for me if he heads home, as I am already nervous and somewhat stressed and he is making it 10x worse. We can do it with one camera, it's not the best scenario but we are not filming a major motion picture here...so we press on.   

Five minutes into filming, battery number one dies. Not a problem, we have a second one, it's been charging and it's at 85%, great, let’s go. Not 20 minutes into filming, battery number 2 it is about to die.  

WTF?  

I am literally half crying and half laughing. I text Elisa, our digital marketing manager, and tell her what is happening. She reminds me that mercury is in retrograde and sends me info that it's all about communication. OMG! How did I not even think of that? I am the ‘woo woo’ girl, I should have known why this is what was happening. Meanwhile, I have 2 large areas of my client's store that I need to put back together and hopefully capture some of it on film but I am seriously starting to doubt it is going to happen.  

While the batteries are charging we switch to the iPhone, not my number one choice but it's our only option at this point. We have something called a gimbal, it's a handheld device that you put your camera or in this case, your phone into and it will create smooth photography. When you see people’s videos and it's moving all over and you feel sea sick, the gimbal fixes that. However, the gimbal needs to be calibrated and guess what, it's having none of it. 

At this point, I am feeling defeated, tired and frustrated. So much goes into trying to pull something like this off. I am only in this store 4x a year. It's the perfect scenario because the store is closed so we can take our time and do it right without having to worry about customers being in the store. We officially just lost the only day we had to film. There are things like air travel (the store is in Morgan Hill), sleeping arrangements, food, time and all of it equals money. I am no longer laughing. I am flat out crying.

I put the store back together and we wrap it up. Elisa's message to me at the end of the day was, " I think the universe is telling you to relax and spend time with your hubs and enjoy the moment". She was right, I knew she was right. The following day we were supposed to film in someone's store for my podcast, I half way had a feeling it wasn't going to happen due to circumstances beyond the owners control. So it wasn't a surprise when it didn't happen. But guess what... It was ok. I submitted to the fact that this trip was a wash, we were only 30 minutes from San Francisco, it was a beautiful rare warm day and we were going to take advantage of it! San Francisco for an appetizer and a glass of wine. We sat on the waterfront, faces in the sun and soaked up every minute of it.

I don't know if I will ever have the opportunity to go to SF just for a glass of wine and an appetizer with my husband again. It was a rare gift, the gift of time, the gift of being in the right place at the right time, the gift of living in moment and the biggest gift, to not worry about what the fuck just happened over the last few days.    

Trust the universe.

Cheers

Michelle

#design #display #merchandising #visualmerchandising #merchandiser #retail #gifts #apparel #retaildesign #retaildisplay #storedesign #storedisplay #showroomdesign #retailconsultant #VM #details #decor #mcdesigncollaboration #retailmerchandising #showroomdesign #showroomdisplay #mcdesigncollaboration