Specialty Shop Retailing: Everything You Need to Know to Run Your Own Store
When Carol Schroeder and her husband opened Orange Tree Imports over thirty years ago, they had no retail background. They taught themselves everything they needed to know—merchandise display, record keeping, inventory management, and the myriad other skills that make up a storeowner's craft. In Specialty Shop Retailing, Schroeder shares her experience and wisdom so that you too can grow your business into an award-winning success. This new Third Edition updates the classic guide with additional strategies for competing against big box retailers, taking advantage of the Internet, and improving profitability—and includes a new feature: over two dozen easy-to-download forms that can be customized for your store's use.Specialty Shop Retailing is a comprehensive guide that covers every aspect of opening and operating a retail store, from choosing a location and designing window displays to niche marketing, promotion, and customer service. Schroeder's tutorials on visual merchandising, store design, and advertising are supplemented with numerous photographs, sample ads, and witty cartoons. This book includes an extensive glossary of retail terms and a bibliography of additional resources for help on special topics such as writing a business plan and managing employees. More practical and useful than ever, it also features new coverage of important topics like e-mail marketing, surviving competition from Wal-Mart, and smart ways to increase sales and boost profits.Like any wise businessperson, Schroeder doesn't rely entirely on her own experience. From interviews with dozens of the most successful specialty retailers in the United States and Europe, she culls practical solutions to some of the field's most daunting challenges. She addresses major strategic issues, such as the pros and cons of buying into a franchise, negotiating a lease, and diversifying the product mix. These solutions are built on straightforward, simple techniques that can be used in any store setting.Whether you're a seasoned retailer with many years' experience or a novice just beginning to plan a store, Specialty Shop Retailing, Third Edition will inform and guide you with up-to-date information, practical advice based on the author's experiences, and simple strategies for finding and maintaining success.