Celebrating a Milestone...with Gone Crackers...

I think that having a business is reason to celebrate! All of the effort involved in coming up with an idea, and a business plan, and securing financing, AND managing to open the doors...it's just a remarkable accomplishment! If all goes well, and you can make it past the magical 2 year mark...I think that you should throw a party!

I went to a celebration a couple of weeks ago, for my friend Heather. Heather owns a business called Gone Crackers, and was in the mood to celebrate not only 2 years in business, but 10 YEARS IN BUSINESS! She was also celebrating the launch of a new flavour of cracker: Moroccan Spice.

The evening was great! It was held at Brix Restaurant in Yaletown. From the minute I walked in, the Moroccan theme was evident. I was handed a glass of sparkling wine with rose petal and gold flake floating dreamily in the glass. I tasted the most flavourful lamb, and pita, with delicious spreads...and was later entertained by a bewitching belly dancer.

Heather made a short speech Thanking all of us for celebrating with her. I believe that successful businesses need to keep celebrating...and we all need to stay involved and watch them grow and thrive.

Small business is the backbone of the Canadian economy...and most other economies in the world. We should all be proud of our local success stories. In this case, showing my pride just means going to the cupboard for some more delicious crackers!

Congratulations Heather! Here's to another 10 years!

Customers...and their ' Patient Partners'

When I had my store, I was always aware if a customer had come in alone...or if there was someone else with them. Sometimes the person was minding the dog outside, sometimes a husband or partner decided to stay on the sidewalk, sometimes the dog stayed outside with a child or grandchild. In all of these instances...the customer in my store was on 'borrowed time'. If I had any hope of making a sale, or even a good impression, I had to consider, the 'shadow customer' lurking outside my front door. Shopping is NOT an activity to undertake when you are on any kind of time limit. It makes the whole activity a sprint...instead of a stroll. It doesn't matter what type of thing you are shopping for, clothes, food, furniture, even a place to eat a nice lunch...if you think that you have to hurry up because someone is WAITING FOR YOU...it takes all the fun out of it.

I spotted this chair outside a favorite gallery of mine on Granville Island. I thought it was brilliant! The decoration suggests gallery...and the soft seat suggests, 'Relax...she,or he,or they will be out in a bit.' Sometimes the reason a customer decides NOT to buy, has nothing to do with your merchandising, or price point, it has to do with the shadowy figure waiting outside. Make them comfortable...say, hi! Maybe even offer them a chair in the sun...

What's Your Name??

When you look at this photo, what catches your eye. Is it the attractive men? The spiffy looking kilts, or the name on the side of the truck? This company has GOT IT ALL!! The name matches the look...and hopefully the work! This company, and these gentlemen worked at BBQ on the Bypass to make sure everything was neat and clean all day! I for 1...will NEVER forget the name of the business. It made an instant impression on me...and if I had to recommend their business to someone else, I would have no problem calling it up in my mind. MEN IN KILTS...they clean...and you will never forget their uniforms!
Does your business have a WOW name like Men in Kilts? Your name is everything...Make it GREAT!!

Your Business...Your Community

I attended BBQ on the Bypass on Sunday September 19,2010. It is a huge community event sponsored by a local business: Well Seasoned, a Gourmet Food Store. The event takes place in Langley, in the parking lot of a group of businesses that include Well Seasoned. The owner, Angie Quaale, plans the event a full year in advance. For anyone who is running a business to take on a huge project like this, has to be like working at another full time job! There is no doubt that WellSeasoned benefits from the media coverage that a large community event like this brings...but if Angie had to count the extra hours worked over the year on the event, divided by the estimated increased revenues...I don't know how well the numbers would come out.
The question then would be: Why Do It? What does your business OWE your Community? Most people would say, nothing. I disagree. It is completely worth the time and the effort, and the headaches, to let people know that you are a good neighbour. Do all of Well Seasoned's customers live in Langley? I doubt it. Do all of the Well Seasoned customers know about the BBQ, and tell their friends and neighbours about it? I would think so. Even if you live in Abbotsford, or White Rock, or in Victoria...you know that when you shop at Well Seasoned, you are shopping at a store that doesn't just pay rent in a community, and sells gourmet food. Well Seasoned contributes to the Community of Langley, by hosting this event. Does that fact make you shop there? That's up to you.

I believe that everyone has a responsibility to participate in the life of the Community they live in. For some people, that might mean shopping at the local Farmers Market, or buying Girl Guide Cookies from a kid at the mall. For others, it means going to events sponsored by local businesses that showcase something different and unique in their Communities. BBQ on the Bypass is a one of a kind event, sponsored by a store that celebrates the tastes and smells of that style of food.

What is your business's passion? How do you let the Community you live and work in, know? What benefits could be gained from finding out? As we head into the busy Holiday Season do you know who you are and what you stand for? I guarantee that finding out, and being able to tell people in a sentence or two, will cause you to stand out in a crowd. Even if that crowd is full of happy people munching on sandwiches with a trickle of BBQ sauce running down their chin...

Aritzia in Pacific Centre- Flying Angel Pussycats

People speak about Window Design like it is an Art. I was fortunate enough to have won a Window Design Competition in 2002, Sponsored by the then Retail Merchants Assn. of BC. My partner Sharon Wallace and I designed a Window in a narrow space in my Cavern Clothing Store in Abbotsford. We had an idea, and somehow the planets aligned, and we won! Seeing the other windows that didn't win, made us feel quite humble. In every case, the time and effort to create these windows, was enormous.

This window, at Aritzia in Pacific Centre dragged me all the way over to it, from way across the mall! I noticed 2 things: There is no focus on clothing, and the flying pussycats have the most incredible expression on their little cat faces, and the way they are positioned gives them the most incredible energy! I kept expecting one to leap off it's strings and POUNCE!!! The window is unusual, considering that we are coming up to 2 major holidays: Thanksgiving and Christmas...I did not see an autumn leaf, a vampire fang, ( I forgot to mention Halloween!) or a Christmas ball.
I believe that the things in this world that are noticed the most, are unexpected. I certainly did not expect to see a leaping, flying, pack of pretty, fluffy, winged pussycats in a store window, that usually has a clothing focus.

It made me wonder what YOU could do with your store window, if you just let yourself go and created a vision that pleased you. Would people stop and stare? Would they blog about you? Who knows...you had better get started, and see...

Orling & Wu: A Gastown Beauty

I was in Vancouver yesterday. It was a nice afternoon, and I was early for my class. I rode the Canada Line all the way to Waterfront Station, and decided to take a walk down Water Street. I have lived in the Lower Mainland for more than 35 years now. I have been to Gastown dozens of times. Some things never seem to change. The store that sells Cowichan Sweaters is still there. So is the place that sells small bottles of real maple syrup, and Inuit soap stone carvings. The tourists are still there. Yesterday afternoon people were still posing in front of the famous steam clock, and others were seriously studying those cartoon maps that tell you where the Art Gallery and the Aquarium is. Lately, I have been reading about some new additions to Gastown's Retail Scene. I kept walking, and soon I came across a pretty little building, with a freshly painted facade, and a window display that caused me to jaywalk across the street to have a better look. I had arrived at Orling & Wu.

The store was simply stunning. The feeling was calm, the colours subtle, and the stock was arranged and edited with great care and attention to detail. I always know I am in an perfectly edited space, when I have to look at EVERYTHING. The way that the items were displayed allowed my eye to see not only the grouping, but each individual item. I think one of the most common mistakes people make when merchandising, is not allowing enough space between items. One of the other elements that made the space work so well, was the use of white. It allowed the other colours and prints to POP...all without causing visual fatigue. I also found the variety of merchandise to be refreshing. The items were unique, without being too precious. These were things you would want to have for yourself, or gift to someone else. The scale of the store was grand, but the mixture of large and small items, as well as large and smaller fixtures made the space feel perfectly proportioned. I also noticed the lighting. The front entrance wall was nearly all windows, but Water Street is like a loft apartment, bit of a tunnel. With tall buildings directly across the street,the quantity and quality of natural light would most certainly need to be addressed. It seemed that the light in the store was very soft. I was there around 5 pm, on a fairly clear Vancouver day. I can imagine on a cloudy or rainy day, that the light would softly radiate out of the front windows to attract patrons, as well as illuminating the merchandise within.

As I left the store, it was as if I had left the quiet contemplation of a meditative space, and was immediately deposited back to the car honking, gritty reality that is modern day Gastown. As I walked past another 4 or 5 spaces currently under development on the same block, I know that Orling & Wu has without a doubt raised the bar for new Retail in Vancouver.

Orling & Wu
28 Water Street
Vancouver, BC Canada
V6B 1A4
t- 604-568-6718 f- 604-568-6719
www.orlingandwu.com
info@orlingandwu.com

Sales,Sales,Sales, and MORE Sales!!

Many retailers I know say they just don't DO sales. In other words, they feel that their product sells just fine at regular price. To them, the idea of putting merchandise on sale gives their customers the impression that they are a 'discount' retailer. Perhaps they don't want it to appear that they may have made a mistake while doing their buying. What merchant hasn't experienced purchasing a single item, or a whole line, that for whatever reason, simply didn't sell. I believe that it is simply impossible to have every item in your store sell through at regular retail ALL THE TIME! What about the item that had an 80% checkout at regular price. A month goes by, you still have 2 pieces left, and unfortunately you are no longer able to fill that item. There the poor thing sits...only 2 of them, not matching anything else, taking up valuable space in your store. You could hang onto it, and hope that in another few weeks or a few months, someone will buy it. I sometimes need to remind the retailers that I work with that their store is NOT A MUSEUM!! The business is not in the business of housing orphaned items for long stretches of time. EVERYTHING has a best before date, whether it be fashion, or food items, or ANYTHING. If you don't think that your customers notice items on your shelves, or on your hangers that have been there way too long...especially if they are regular customers, I guarantee you, they do. In my opinion, you can fight the inevitable, and only reduce the price of your merchandise when you bank balance dips below an acceptable level...or you can EMBRACE the idea of SALE by planning your markdowns.

Each item in your store represents a dollar value. You know what you paid for it, and when you paid for it. You should know when you want it out of your store to make room for new merchandise. I don't think any merchant should be upset with selling 8 out of 10 items before the cheque clears the bank! If you decide when the items arrive, what price you would be willing to reduce that item to, to ensure that it exits your store in no longer than 60 days...I know that you will be rewarded with a cleaner store and a larger bank balance.

Take 15 minutes every week and have a look around your business. Find the old timers, and make a plan to move them out. Dedicate a space, or find a creative, fun way to tell your customers that you have something that is a real DEAL!

I know that you don't want your business to be stuck in the past. Getting rid of the orphans will allow you to have more cash for the future best sellers! The Season is changing...are you?