Page 369 - MM July2018

Evolve the product mix
to meet customer demand Over the years, the retail assortment
has morphed more into giftware, kitchen supply, tabletop, and home entertaining merchandise, with less of an emphasis on the home décor. Anne estimates that sales are pretty evenly split between giftware and kitchenware.
While kitchenware dominates the back part of the store, closest to the demonstration kitchen, the front half is devoted to gifts and tabletop items. Among the top-selling brands: Scout bags, Mariposa, Vietri,
Nora Fleming, Saro, Nest and Lafco fragrances, All-Clad, and Le Creuset. Anne describes the aesthetic of the store’s décor as “classic Southern style
with some fun little winks.” Merchandise
is displayed on clean-lined furniture such
as classic bookcases or pine hutches, and they mix and match styles and products, including classic blue-and-white porcelain juxtaposed with farmhouse pottery and sleek chrome pieces.
Buy based on what you
love and what you know
Much of what they carry is sourced during
The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market®, where it’s, again, often a family affair. Last January, the buying crew included Linda, Jane, Anne, and the store manager, Maggie. “It’s fun because we all have a similar idea
of what’s going to appeal to our customers, but then we play good cop and bad cop,” says Anne. “My mom and I want to buy all the things while Jan and Maggie say,
‘Let’s think about the budget.’”
But, budget-wise, the team prefers to shop from the heart rather than being beholden to a specific open to buy. “For us, market is not a mathematical equation but trying to feel out what we are excited about, and what we could see our customers getting excited about...then we ask, can we afford it and where are we going to put it?”
They’re always on the lookout for new options in one category that’s a particularly strong seller: products with a local and regional identity or origin. These could be plates, platters or tea towels emblazoned with the North Carolina state shape, art pints with regional images, North Carolina- shaped cutting boards; and regional foods and flavors.
A reputation as a great resource for local goods and gifts, coupled with fun and informative cooking classes, ensures that the mother-daughters team at Southern Home & Kitchen have a successful future. ■
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