The Clothes Line

Garden center operators looking to find a previously untapped profit center should take notes from Pam Donzelli at Gale's Westlake Garden Center. The store's president decided to market fashion apparel and accessories at the Westlake, Ohio, store. Here's the story, along with its happy ending, per Donzelli …
 

GARDEN CENTER: What prompted your store's management team to decide to get into selling fashion items?

PAM DONZELLI: [We] decided to go into ladies apparel for several reasons. Most garden centers who have a gift shop in their store know the categories that sold well in the past are not the same categories selling well in today's gift shop. The collectible market is gone, and most retail stores are on the interior décor and fragrance/bath category bandwagon. We asked: What can we do to help bring back those lost dollars and re-establish that customer? Ladies apparel and accessories were getting lots of attention in the trade mags, and for good reason. Most garden centers who experimented with the category were experiencing great sales. They saw an increase in the category where so many other categories are either decreasing or remaining flat. Trade magazines gave us lots of information on the best vendors, especially the gift trade magazines.

The next steps we took were visiting other stores and talking to folks who are known for doing good numbers in ladies apparel and accessories. We took advantage of our time at the GCA tours and industry trade shows networking with people. Next, we checked out the top-rated vendors [at AmericasMart] in Atlanta and started to make a plan and decisions.

We started small the spring of 2009, spending less than $5,000, and saw success immediately. We bought a little jewelry, a sandal line, a few sweaters, a purse line and some scarves. As the category grew so did our confidence, and we began to expand it. We began checking out more of the top-rated lines, talking more with other stores and continuing to check out other retail operations locally and on GCA tours. Eventually, you get into a groove, and it just goes from there. We spent $55,000 this year in ladies apparel and accessories so far.
 

GC: What percentage of your total sales come from this area?

PD: Ladies apparel and accessories are now 41 percent of my budget and sales in the gift shop. It is about 2 percent of my total budget.
 

GC: How do you market your apparel/fashion lines?

PD: We use seasonal newsletters and postcards. We use Facebook daily and do monthly e-blasts. We do seasonal paper ads, radio ads and cable TV advertising. We spotlight the ladies apparel and accessories at in-store events. We post it on our front-lighted sign.

GC: Is there a certain customer type that you cater to specifically (what is her demographic makeup)?

PD: Definitely women 45 and over are the majority at this point. We do pull some younger women in and are gaining on them all the time. "Women 50 and Over" were a safe group to begin with since they have more discretionary income. It is also my base customer. The lines we pick mostly cater to them. This year we are branching out and going after the "Under 45" demographic with a few lines that we think they'll like.

GC: Where do you shop for items in the various lines you carry?

PD: AmericasMart in Atlanta is the place for us. We also subscribe to Giftbeat magazine; they do a nice job with gift and apparel lines.

GC: Does this area of the inventory have any kind of online element to it; that is, can your customers shop in the store and via the computer?

PD: I do not sell online at the present time, but it would be perfect for it.