Page 266 - AmericasMart: Market Magazine July 2018

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What sets your store apart in your community?
Lemongra
Grand Haven, Mich.
a wonderful soy candle burning in our store so it always smells great, and customers love this.
What’s your best advice for someone starting out in retail? First and foremost, do your homework. Consider the type of store you want to open. Are there stores already in your
area like this? What will your customer base be? What's the business climate like for small retailers and their longevity in your area? Will your store be unique and stand out from the others? What will your general price point be? Where is the need? What is the best location for traffic—both drive by and walk by? From the start,
you need to make a good impression on your prospective customers, from the minute they walk in the door. Every detail is important. I can walk into a new store or business and tell within the first 20 seconds whether or not I think it will make it.
Another important thing is research;
read and train. There are a lot of
resources out there for retailers to make the difference between success and failure. Sales training, social media, marketing and advertising etc. to name a few. Visit stores in other towns and cities that are similar
to what you want to open. What brands do they carry; why are they successful? Go to trade shows and research the brands and product lines out there even before you actually open your doors.
I did this years ago, and it helped me
to see, touch and feel the products I was considering. Trade shows are so important to great product selection.
Why do you choose to come to Market at AmericasMart? Well, this year was the first for us at AmericasMart. I don't know why I waited so long! I was small and growing the business; I was trying to save on travel expenses by staying local. Last year in 2017, we attended the Las Vegas Market for the first time. It was very nice but the plane ride out there was long. So, this year, I decided that we needed to finally go to Atlanta, the biggest and earliest show of the year. I'm always looking for new companies and product lines
and AmericasMart did not disappoint. We wrote a lot of orders and found cool new products. We were there for four full days to shop, and there were so many showrooms that we didn't have time to see. We will be back every year from now on!
About Us
Our boutique is a destination for women of all ages. We stock a tasteful selection of carefully curated merchandise presented in a warm and friendly vintage, inspired setting, all offered at a moderate price point including clothing, fashion accessories, jewelry, handbags, natural soaps and lotions, home decor and a wonderful selection of candles and gift items. Shop our brick and mortar store
in Grand Haven Mich., or online boutique, shoplemongrass.com ■
At Lemongrass we pay great attention to details to make a great shopping experience for our customers. We are a lifestyle store and sell everything from clothing, jewelry and accessories, to candles, bath & body products, home décor, furniture and gift items.
We have the largest selection of hand- curated merchandise as an independent retailer in our downtown. A definite theme to our store ensures the merchandise represents that. Our style is classic and trendy, but we don't go overboard. We keep a close eye on the current trends in home and fashion, but only buy what we feel fits the look and feel of our store, and of course, what our customers like and depend on us to carry.
Most of all, we focus on making our customers happy with both the products we carry and our customer service.
Our customer base is 99.9 percent
women. (men only come in when they
need to buy their wives a gift or are
tagging along with their wives or significant others). We are a tourist town so summers are our busiest time of year, but we have
a large local customer base as well.
We provide a warm and friendly shopping environment and our sales staff will always greet our customers and provide whatever help the customer needs. Whether selecting an outfit or decorating their home, we will always try to make suggestions and provide our expertise to our customers without being too pushy. We want our customers to have a relaxed shopping experience. And we always have
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