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This is it... I'm a store owner in Canada who carries lots of stamps and scrapbooking products in a fairly small space ;) however, at this present moment I've got some fellas here cutting an 8' wide hole in the wall to almost double our store space!
We're planning on a much larger cropping/drop in/class area, a demo 'bar' and just general spreading things out. BUT we're looking for inspiration right now, so I would love to see some photos of stores with some interesting & unique displays!
Sometimes I think we're completely nuts doing this in the present economy, but the opportunity came up and we just had to go for it- thanks in advance for your photos!
Sorry, no photos here since I don't have a lss. But I'd like to have a comfy chair and TV for hubby! I only get to go to scrapbook/stamp store when I am traveling with him and those places that provide a nice place for him to rest get more of my $ 'cause I can browse in peace! Or a small *fenced* toy area for kiddies.
no photos either, but something i always say, is stroller friendly aisles please.
mine is out of a stroller now, but man it was a pain to get around my lss sometimes cause it was a very small space and awkard shape. and this is with a small umbrella stroller. they moved and its much better now.
I shop at Green Tangerines in Rocklin, CA. I don't have pics, but if you go to their website at www.mygreentangerines.com you can see a picture of the main space. The place is huge, with nice wide aisles and a couple of comfy chairs at the entrance for the hubbys (or, in my case, my elderly mom). Pretty much everything the above two posters want.
There is a stamping store in Branson that I stop at when we are there and they have a small area with a couple of comfy chairs and a small TV, keeps DH occupied while I look, I do think this is a good idea.
And lots of samples, the place in Branson has sample boards all over the store. I have bought a lot of stuff, just because I liked the samples.
Not unique but I like to take my son who is in a wheelchair and there is only 1 store I am able to get him into. Although I like lot's of goodies, I also like to take him with me. He likes to stamp/scrap so he likes to chose his own things. It makes it nice when you can drive the wheelchair down the aisle. Good luck!!
__________________ Jami I saw a Silver Volvo and got excited!!
My husband said...."It was him or scrapbooking"...I took pictures of him packing and made the cutest pages!!!
There is a stamping store in Branson that I stop at when we are there and they have a small area with a couple of comfy chairs and a small TV, keeps DH occupied while I look, I do think this is a good idea.
And lots of samples, the place in Branson has sample boards all over the store. I have bought a lot of stuff, just because I liked the samples.
I shopped at one in Branson this past summer. Bet it was the same one - I can't remember the name right now. I shopped for hours and spent about $250 all because DH was happy watching TV!
My favorite local store unfortunately went out of business about a year ago. :(
It was a wide open store, and in the center was a play area with DVD player for kids. The play area had high side walls- they were about waist high on me, just tall enough that the little kids couldn't climb out and run around. You could see your kids from anywhere in the store because they had wire racks and wide aisles.
The whole place had a fun feel- everything was bright pink, black, and white. Up near the front doors they had a small counter with flavored coffee in those pump-top carafes, and the back third of the store was nothing but 6 foot tables where you could sit and work on your projects. I was really sad when they closed.
If I ever found a LSS with a place for my DH to sit (none around here that I know of) AND a place for the kids to play, I'd probably go broke there.
A store I've only visited once stands out in my mind because they had a whole display of odd pieces... scrabble tiles, old postcards, random chipboard letters, etc.... set out in baskets that you could buy by the piece. I liked that idea, rather than having to buy a whole alphabet set or whatever. I wondered at the time if that was how they used up leftovers after they taught a class- not sure, but it made for a unique display.
I shop in Clipper Street in Langley. Great store. The only thing I would change is moving it somewhere closer to me. It takes me forever to get to Langley. Anyway, it is roomy, easy to go around. As previous posters mentioned - there are chairs by the door for hubbies, or to sit and do that final purge before you pay for your stuff, there is a fenced play area for kids. Big separate room for their classes. I just love it. Don't have any pictures though.
You're hearing a lot of "wish" items; I thought I'd mention one that was so off-putting to me that I'll never go back to that store, even though it darn near killed me when one of SCS's famous names came to teach classes there.
The store is really small and packed to the high heavens with stamps, mostly quite small (A Muse) and all loose on the shelves. They have MULTIPLE signs at the entrance telling you there are SEVEN, count 'em SEVEN cameras watching your every move.
First, I'm not a thief. If I were, I'd ignore the warning anyway because, you know, thieves don't really think they're going to get caught. That's why they're thieves. Second, if you set up your store in such a manner that it's easy for people to steal, you would really need to be WATCHING the seven cameras at all times, and I can tell you that is not happening because I was there and no one was behind the counter. So it was not a notice really, but a warning - and I found it really offensive.
My other "please don't do this in your store" comment is: all your customers should be treated the same. Just because I came in with jeans doesn't mean I would buy less than the women from Carmichael with their designer handbags (I have one of those bags too, so ya just never know, ya know?). I wandered that store for 30min (it's a very small store) and NOT ONCE did the owner acknowledge me.
HMMMM, I think this turned more into a rant than the ideas of how to set up your store you were looking for, but knowing what not to do is just as valuable as knowing what to do.
Right - I don't have a LSS as such - all my physical stores are chains stores.
Michaels remind me of Walmart well the old Walmarts I had been in and I feel like I can never find anything.
Hobby Lobby is really a bit of the same and they always seem to be restocking without any humans in the areas I want to be in when I visit (which isn't very often)
Archiver's - I really like but there are bits I don't go into as easily - they have lovely table set ups in the back for classes, workshops and for their customers to use as necessary - no play area but they are in a mall with a playarea right outside and a sitting area not too far away. http://www.archiversonline.com/
Their cash register area is in the middle so they can see everything and they have work/display area at the ends where they will do make and takes near smaller holidays too with a display of the nearest upcoming holiday containing products that relate to that just between there and the front of the shop.
I also like that they have loads of displays up over the stamps section which is magnetized and they put cards up there and stickers on the inside with a supplies list on it! (that also solves the problem of store display copies walking off ;) )
They also print photos there with Shutterfly I think - which of course can be handy for people needing to scrap things quickly and not having room at home... they have everything there for them!
thanks for all the ideas ladies- so nice to see we're already doing alot of them! No TV for the hubbies (though we're setting up a demo 'bar' and the guys are liking the idea of sitting at the 'bar' LOL) but we have a small, fenced kids area and the big part of our expansion is tables to work at for crops & classes! We've always been very conscious to keep the aisles stroller/wheelchair friendly and now we can spread out even more... there's a long ways to go, but it's coming together slowly!
still would love to see some pics of other shops, but if you want to see pics of our work in progress, check the blog: http://creativeaccents.blogspot.com
Well, my LSS is nearly closing, but I'm stopping by this Saturday to pick up some Tim Holtz stuff. I will ask if she's okay with me taking some photos of her store.
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This is my lss although it is an hour away http://thesqueakypage.com/
I don't have pics, well I do in my scrapbook but not on my computer.
After reading the other posts I must say it is not stroller friendly, it is not wheelchair friendly. It is really crammed to the rafters with treasures. It has two seperate crafting rooms for crops and classes. Being a disabled girl I have had little trouble getting around with my cane. But the owner is the sweetest ever.
__________________ My Blog╰⊰⊹✿ Doris ╰⊰⊹✿:Mommy to one teenage girl, a water turtle and 3 meow babies Go grab a Hot Potato!MS: You don't get it till you get it! G= 100 LT= +13
I go to Angela's Happy Stamper in Reston Virginia. It's awesome. I love love love that they carry a huge variety -- including many of the popular online stamps and specialty products like copics. They just redid their space and there's a new classroom space with GREAT lighting. A small kids area but they have a "treasure hunt" that keeps my kids occupied (looking for certain stamps or products and then they win a sticker or piece of candy). Lots and lots of classes. One of my favorite things about them too is that they list their new items on the web so I can see if things I'm looking for have come in. A funny thing -- they got the new Basic Grey bittersweet and posted in their newsletter. I was there when it opened (along with about 10 other ladies)!
And of course, Angela and everyone there is super nice and always willing to chat!
__________________ Anjou My Gallery * My Blog - Dreaming in Color "Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so." - Belva Davis
I can not remember the name of this store but someone from Texs might. It is quite swanky. The colors throughout are fuschia, black and white. They have chandeliers, round tables for displaying items and if I remember correctly b/w animal print chairs. It really is a beautiful store, almost boutique like. The reason I mention it is their website has great photos of their store that may give you some ideas. Does anyone remember the name of this store???
__________________ Pia "I am not old and haggard. I am Shabby Chic."
Show me your LSS!
