DECORATE LIKE A PRO
Four design professionals show you how to create show-stopping
holiday displays without breaking the bank.
Do
your holiday displays look just like they did last
year? Or just like the displays of every other store
on the block? Is there so much to see that fresh new
products get lost or overlooked? Then it's time to
learn to fine-tune your holiday look with tips from
the experts.
SET YOUR FOCUS
The first step in the creation of an effective holiday
display is deciding what you want to sell. Matthew
Goodman, exhibit design project manager for White
Plains, New York-based George Little Management, recommends
taking stock of your inventory, then selecting a single
product that you want to push. For Sarah Schlegel,
design coordinator of Bronner's Christmas Wonderland
in Frankenmuth, Michigan, the process starts even
before the inventory is ordered: She chooses her themes
for the year's trees at the Atlanta gift show.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
According to Goodman, the over-the-top "retail-tainment"
theory has had its day. "When the economy's up,
the displays are more plentiful. If it's softer, the
propping is going to be a little less," he explains.
In today's leaner economic times, a simple display
cuts costs for the retailer and speaks to the customers'
desire to get more for their money. Goodman's recommendation?
"This year, the independent retailer would be
wise to invest in display garlands, decorate them
in simple styles, swag them in the window, and repeat
them in key areas in the store. That is enough to
say 'holiday.' I don't think that their money would
be well spent on a really extravagant holiday display.
I'd rather see a few holiday props done really well
than many done haphazardly." One very simple
technique is impact merchandising -- repeating the
same item in a clean, fashion-forward way. For example,
display the identical products atop wrapped boxes
or hanging from ribbons. Alternatively, take a cross-merchandising
approach, displaying your favorite item with coordinating
pieces to increase sales per transaction. Or combine
the two strategies: Use one method in the window,
and the other inside.
Schlegel believes that simplicity makes a display
more striking in any economy. "One common design
mistake is putting too much on a tree," she says.
"Go with just a certain color or theme rather
than adding a whole combination of different kinds
of merchandise. You don't see the beauty of any one
type of ornament if there is too much to look at."
STARS AND EXTRAS
Designer Bob Prenga is also known as Dr. Christmas.
He and his partner, Debi Staron, are best known for
their work as "holiday stylists to the stars,"
with celebrity clients ranging from Candice Bergen
to Teri Garr. But Prenga got his start doing retail
displays, and he still works for retail stores across
the country. Prenga's design philosophy is inspired
by his Hollywood base: "I design Christmas trees
like casting a movie. You have your stars and your
supporting players. Supporting players are simpler
ornaments and ribbon. I'm a big fan of elaborate ribbon
designs. Stars are nicer ornaments that you like to
show off." According to Prenga, the first misconception
people have is that creating Hollywood glamour will
be prohibitively expensive. You can give your store
"a little showbiz glitter" and still stay
within your budget, he notes. "Fill your tree
up with basic red glass, and then buy your special
pieces."
In holiday decorating, as in movie producing, you
only need a few stars and a lot of extras. So don't
overbuy. "One of the injustices of the '80s was
that wholesalers told retailers that everything had
to be a theme tree and the theme had to be adhered
to. They would say you needed to buy all 18 ornaments
in a collection, some of which were duds," Prenga
recalls. Instead, decorate your tree with an eye for
feel and color, and then add a few special focal points
to create a theme. Often those special pieces aren't
product at all, but props like a celebrity photo or
a children's book. Prenga cautions retailers to resist
the temptation to sell props off the tree, since this
will compromise the display's effectiveness. "If
somebody really wants the prop, sell it to them and
arrange for a later time to pick it up."
The showrooms of holiday product manufacturer Midwest
of Cannon Falls in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, have used
unusual props ranging from chairs and footballs to
dried flowers and hats. The company's visual manager,
Chris Tkachuck, suggests an extra: Use filler -- anything
from ribbons, garlands, or mirrors to cards or pinecones
-- to fill the inside spaces of a tree.
COLOR IS KEY
Everyone knows what the Christmas colors are. However,
Prenga points out, "very few people decorate
with red and green; make sure the tree flows with
the decor." If your store is lavender and white,
you may want to choose an unconventional color scheme.
Bring your swatches with you when you shop for decorations.
If you want to stick with traditional colors, there
are still ways to dress them up or tone them down.
Prenga recommends a bluish or brick red and sage green.
Then there are the fashion colors. Says Schlegel,
"This year's popular color scheme is periwinkle,
blue, purple, and lavender with silver accents."
Tkachuck sees an emphasis on lush rich jewel tones
such as reds, cranberries, burgundies, blues, and
greens, and on green-heavy traditional red-and-green
combos.
TIE IT TOGETHER
Whatever design scheme you choose, make sure it coordinates,
not only within each tree, but with the rest of your
store. That means more than matching paint. "You
could lay out your floor by color or by theme or lifestyle
statement," Tkachuck says. Your theme can be
anything from an old favorite like nautical or golf
merchandise to Schlegel's hot pick for 2001: Harry
Potter. A lifestyle statement, however, is broader,
and can include a combination of several compatible
themes. For example, Tkachuck decorated Midwest's
showrooms this year with the Stag's Head Inn collection,
which taps into the antique and lodge look trends
in home decor. The line contains not only ornaments
and decorative tabletop pieces, but also accent furniture
marketed as seasonal decor. Tkachuck showcased the
line by placing vintage furniture draped with garland
adjacent to a tree, and adding props such as Oriental
rugs. Not only does this technique cross-merchandise
holiday product with regular home decor inventory,
it also shows customers how the product can fit into
their homes, and gives a store a harmonious overall
feel. Another Midwest lifestyle statement, Thoroughbred,
pulled together cream, white, yellow, and gold tabletop
pieces, decorative items, furniture pieces, garlands,
and ornaments for a Southern formal Christmas look.
A third statement, Nutcracker Suite, used theater
seats, music stands, mirrors, antique trunks, and
fabrics to "set the stage."
Whatever statement you decide to make, ensure that
your Christmas displays are harmonious, within themselves
and with the rest of your offerings. Soon you'll be
a display pro yourself.
