Articles

Green Goods: Bulbs…More than Just Spring

In the American Midwest, Northeast and areas with similar climates, the great majority of tulip, daffodil, crocus and hyacinth bulbs fill the months of April and May with glorious color and sweetness after our long,... more »

Maintaining a Sparkling Display

When you walk into any retail store, whether you know it or not, you are affected by the atmosphere; and for most people a clean atmosphere makes them more comfortable, encouraging customers to shop longer... more »

Lawn & Garden Retailer Headlines

2005 Retail Forecast The National Retail Federation (NRF) recently revised its 2005 sales forecast based on the inclusion of new merchandise categories (food and beverage stores, building materials and garden equipment stores, health and personal... more »

Sorting Through the Gifts

We've been to quite a few garden centers around the United States and Europe, and through those trips we've discovered that there are hundreds of product categories that can be considered gifts. Gift departments are... more »

Toning it Down

By now you are all probably sick and tired of hearing about the current trend of using lots of color, so I have a small treat for you. Avid gardeners are putting their feet down... more »

Dead armadillos…

Consumers can usually be relied on to "shop 'til they drop." This was one of the primary drivers of the economic recovery we saw in 2003-2004. In fact, the 7-percent surge in sales in 2004... more »

Closed for Profit

Spring — the sound of registers ringing, customers questioning and shopping carts rolling. And then there's fall and winter — for some of you the same sounds can be heard, but for others of you,... more »

ABC’s of Sign Making… the Digital Way

Most everyone would agree that an excellent way to increase your retail sales is by creating customer awareness through promotions and marketing. While many store owners have already developed extensive advertising programs, they often overlook... more »

Exploit Your Differences

Home stores and mass merchants provide stiff competition for independent retailers in virtually all categories. The "boxes" have become experts at transaction selling, providing low-cost and convenient product solution, and processing hordes of customers. Now,... more »

Adding a New Station

Back in high school, I worked at a neighborhood pharmacy afternoons and weekends. One of my responsibilities was keeping the vast display of greeting cards clean, neat and stocked. Thinking back on that experience, even... more »

Everything I ever needed to know…

In the years since moving to Chicago, I have become an avid baseball fan. I count the days until spring training starts, I get to the ballpark as often as possible, and I've even started... more »

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Building Birding Success

Niche, niche, niche — are you sick of hearing that word yet? It seems like all we have been hearing lately is that you need a niche to stay in "competition" with the big boxes.... more »