THE
Woman
SASSY Business
A Trendy
Trade The Benefits of Business Makeovers By Stephanie Graham
W
e all know first impressions are important, but when those impressions directly affect the survival of a company, the stakes raise exponentially. Big-name companies in particular spend hour upon hour researching various demographics of their potential customers’ personalities. How do they think? What makes some people come into a store and others walk right on by? Even simple common sense tells us that certain stores are going to attract certain people’s attention. Generally speaking, for example, a store with plenty of pink could repel men, and stores with racks full of hunting and fishing gear might send most women for the nearest exit. No matter the business, “Ambiance certainly matters,” says Nancy Kline, owner of Atmospheres Interiors in St. Joseph, Michigan. It matters doubly so, perhaps, for stores that are selling some sort of fashion item. “The cutting edge fashion shops are the ones swamped with people,” she says about the stores in her area.
If at First You Don’t Succeed…
When a business is not booming, and the owner or management thinks it may be time for a makeover, there are plenty of things to consider first. Kline suggests calling a meeting to assess the situation and decide if a makeover would be the best option. After conversations ruling out factors like location as the problem, budget and return on investment are the next order of discussion; is it reasonable to think the money spent on a makeover will be returned through a positive response from customers?
your first consideration is going to be function.” Secondly, it is going to be about appearance and fashion. “The visual effect will definitely impact the customer’s feelings to want to make purchases,” she says.
Cosmetic Aesthetics
While the ultimate goal is that people like the products and buy them, the first step in that process is getting people to walk through the doors. Rebecca Maalouf, Camellia Cosmetics owner and lead artist, learned this the hard way. When Camellia opened in Eddy St. Commons two years ago, they were excited to invite new clientele through their doors. But what they found was that the store didn’t fit as well as they had hoped. It was a mini version of the same store in Granger, but apparently got caught in a gap between the college students and professional women they were looking to serve. Maalouf even remembers hearing some college students walking by the store, saying, “I don’t want to go in there. It looks way too expensive.” “Just being fashion forward is one thing,” Kline says, “but fashion forward for one age group will be completely different than it would be for another, or for guys versus girls. You definitely want to think about that age group or that gender that you’re designing for because you’re going to want them to enjoy being there.” Striking that balance is an ongoing learning process.
Then it’s a matter of how much needs to be done, since it doesn’t always have to cost a fortune to have an impact. Kline says that sometimes, “just a coat of paint and some plants can go a long way to bring in atmosphere.” Being strategic with lighting can also help optimize a low-budget makeover. “If you have jewelry, glasses, dishes or other glass products, you can bring them up near the window and use light to your best advantage.”
Maalouf says there was a sort of ‘don’t touch, hands off ’ look to the store, so she decided to call the design team at home furnishing store Junk Evolution to see what they could do. Interior designer Char Swoveland of Junk Evolution agrees that Camellia did have a fancy look. “The whole shop was very glamorous; pink walls with white furnishings and a black counter.” Maalouf wanted to mix up the products and decided they “absolutely needed to change the image of the store, from bright and shiny to a more grunge, warm, inner city area with a friendly feeling.”
If the decision is made to go further, though, Kline advises, “With any design,
The agreement they ended up with can be inspiration for anyone looking for
24 JANUARY 2013 | SASSY