Store Design

Keys to Showing Off
Keys to Showing Off

To become an inspiration destination for your customers, introduce bold colors, technology and better planning to endcaps and dead ends.Lawn and garden retailers face many of the same challenges as other retailers. Learning from fashion,... more »

April 2011
You Have Arrived!

A well executed garden center entrance not only sets the tone of an emotional experience, it opens the minds and the wallets of your customers.Captivating the interest of consumers begins outside of our physical business... more »

February 2011
The Most Important Room in the House

Restrooms are often a deciding factor (and sometimes a deal-breaker) for your customers when it comes to choosing whether or not they will return to your garden center.When we need to go, we need to... more »

January 2011
Better When Bartered

Looking to give your garden center's layout a little extra oomph but don't have the extra cash to make renovations? Barter your space for some much needed improvements.Look around your garden center. It's nothing but... more »

January 2011
Turning Pests Into Profits

Increasingly, customers turn to the winning combination of Chalet Nursery's knowledgeable staff and its Plant Health Care Center to help diagnose and treat their plant ailments.There is nothing like the reaction of an amazed customer... more »

July 2010
Park It!

Your garden center's parking lot is the first thing your prospective customers see when they drive up, so why should it be an afterthought for you?Famous last words from garden center owners:"We filled the parking... more »

January 2008
Things Are Looking Up

Success in retail is predicated on the ability to compel the prospective customer to stop, look and buy. Throughout retail's grand evolution, merchants have creatively enticed customers into their stores and through their selling environments.... more »

January 2008
The Art of the Layout

Store planning and design are consistently at the top of our list of things retailers need to do well in order to have a successful store. Merchandise will sell itself when a store's design is... more »

November 2007
Celebrate the Customer, the Merchandise, the Seasons

The Chalet Nursery, a 90-year-old nursery, garden center and landscaping business in Wilmette, Ill., "is not really known for its sales," says buyer and merchandising manager John Hoerst. Visitors to the Chalet are not greeted... more »

August 2007
Catering to your Christmas Consumer

With the growth of mass retailers and chain stores, the competition for Christmas merchandise dollars can seem daunting for an independent garden center (IGC). Although there has been a bit of a downward trend in... more »

August 2007
Creating An Animated Christmas Fantasyland

Every retailer faces fierce competition in today's Christmas marketplace. Christmas merchandise is now sold through every imaginable outlet. Whether it's drug store chains, home improvement stores or even the local supermarket, everyone wants a piece... more »

August 2007
Visualizing Christmas

Visual merchandising gets a great deal of attention during the Christmas season, a period in which stores claim to make 50 percent of their sales and 75 percent of their profit. Merchandise and decorating plans... more »