Great! You’ve put some frames in your windows. Maybe a little plastic foliage in spring and summer, maybe some Christmas lights during the holidays, but now that you want to step up your game (and your business!) you need to put a little extra effort into your display elements. Having fashion frames in your office doesn’t translate into immediate sales; you have to also make an effort to draw in people. Your windows and displays can help you do this. Not just for new clients, but for existing clients who can be inspired to purchase more than one frame. So, let’s go over a couple of specific areas.
Illustration by the author Suzan Mattisson
Time
If your first response was “Who’s got time for this? I’ve got a business to run!” You may want to delegate display work to someone else. You may already have an employee who has an artistic flair and would love to use their talents and be paid for it. Usually, you already know if this person works for you or not. They are probably already rearranging your racks and trying on all the new frames with their cute outfits that they always get compliments on. They will be the first to “get it” that fashion frames can be additional sales. But if that person is also your best salesperson, you may prefer to keep them on the sales floor and go to plan B, which is:
Hire a person to come in part time just to do windows and possibly interior displays. In San Francisco, where I worked for many years, there are a number of art schools and fashion schools, where display is part of a retail professional education. You can contact a local college or school that has a retail program and see if there is an art or fashion student who wants to do windows on a regular basis for you.
You may be interested in doing your displays yourself, or, at least, planning them. It can be a nice, creative break from your usual work that doesn’t have to be done every day.
Displays can be changed seasonal or monthly, depending on your foot traffic. If you’re lucky enough to have frontage on a busy street, it would be worth your while to switch up your windows every 4-6 weeks. People do tend to “blank out” as they pass your business if the displays don’t catch their attention or change often. And, let’s face it, most frames are, by and large, pretty boring.
Illustration by the author Suzan Mattisson
Altina Sanders, a professional window dresser in 1930’s Manhattan, was cosmically bored with the same basic eyeglass frame. She decided to create a new eyeglass frame with a more interesting shape and, thus, the Cats’ eye frame was born. This would be the first time that an eyeglass frame was created solely for the purpose of looking good, and, so, eyeglasses tiptoed into the domain of fashion. Even so, eyeglasses don’t inherently create a lot of interest on their own in a window, so display elements are needed to create that visual impact.
Money
Whether you do displays yourself or delegate them to someone else, money will be spent on props. Depending on your window size, a specific amount of money will be a basic budget for each window, (say, $50-100.), except at Christmas when you will want to spend a lot more, perhaps over $200. This is because the holiday season is a long one and you can keep those displays up for a long time. Even though frames aren’t seasonal items, there are more people out shopping and you want to be a part of that excitement. Have some fun!
Remember, props are sometimes a one-time cost. When they are basic display items, they become part of your design “repertoire” and can be re-used. Remember the basic Pyramid shape we discussed? (The Art of Display – Eyeglass Frames as Enticement (insert link to article http://opticianshandbook.com/in-office/marketing-and-sales/article/the-art-of-display--eyeglass-frames-as-enticement/) Retail display companies carry plastic “risers” in different heights, usually sold as a set. These can be used over and over with any other prop. Get a few different sets, in plastic, metal and wood, if available, to mix in with various other elements. These are your “go-to” risers when you’re creating something besides a seasonal or major window.
Illustration by the author Suzan Mattisson
You can also use pieces of marble, wood, bricks in various configurations to follow through with different themes, wood for a fall window, with other fall elements (leaves, moss, acorns), bricks for an industrial look (along with steel rim frames, nuts and bolts, anything that makes you think about industrial decor). In other words, if you can create different heights to place frames on, you can use it as a riser. Use the eye frames you want to draw attention to as a guide for what risers, and other props, you want to incorporate in your display.
Keep boxes labeled with the contents, (general fall decor, spring, etc.), look through these before buying new props. Don’t; however, fall into the trap of putting the same old windows in every year with different frames. This is so you don’ t buy something you already have, like orange lights in your basic fall box that would be great for Thanksgiving.
Also, remember the networking! Borrow that antique chair, borrow that batik fabric, if you saw it in a window and thought about how it would go with a certain look, see about borrowing it and cross-promoting with a local business (The Art of Display – Eyeglass Frames as Enticement (insert link to article http://opticianshandbook.com/in-office/marketing-and-sales/article/the-art-of-display--eyeglass-frames-as-enticement/)
Illustration by the author Suzan Mattisson
The bottom line here is to switch it up, create new lifestyle models so your present and future clients are entertained and inspired to try new looks for themselves. Fashion and trends change every season and the point is to continually engage your clientele.
Suzan Mattisson is an award winning visual merchandiser with over 20 years of experience with companies as varied as the late-great I. Magnin in San Francisco, California and Mishi apparel in Petaluma, California. Currently a writer/artist, she also works in the beauty industry. Suzan enjoys looking through other women's closets (at their request!) and updating their style. When not helping women look their best, Suzan can be found on her farm outside Petaluma drawing portraits of dogs and shoes.
