Almost everybody has heard the old saying "if you have time to lean, you have time to clean," but there is a better way to approach that time you spend leaning. During the winter months in the garden center business you'll find that there are certainly times that seem void of pertinent activity. Instead of leaning on your hand and daydreaming for warmer days, start day dreaming about what you'd like your store to become in the next weeks, months and years. The after Christmas doldrums are a perfect time to start looking around your store and making a plan of attack! Dream, scheme, and execute!
- Analyze spaces that you've delegated to items such as your fertilizer or bagged goods. What could you do to make it look less industrial, and how can you make it become more of an impulse buy as opposed to something a salesperson has to recommend?
- Look online at different signage options and see what's new in the industry. What steps would you have to take to improve your signage to make them easier for your customers to read? Consider restyling them to be more precise and to the point.
- Pinterest is a great resource to find different ways to market your merchandise. Type in a hard to sell item and see how other people have perhaps altered it to be more pleasing to the general consumer (type in clay pots, you'll be surprised!).
- Tour other stores in your area to try and see what everybody else is doing and how it's working for them. Keep in mind, you might find inspiration where you wouldn't expect such as at a grocery store (on how to do displays) or a consignment shop (how to repurpose items to make them visually pop).
Don't waste your time leaning this season, get dreaming!
Nikki Weed is a horticulturist and professional adventurer who uses her experiences and knowledge to manage a successful garden center in Greenville, S.C. She can be reached at pepitaweed@gmail.com.