The (still) great outdoors

Here’s a sample outdoor living setting “in its natural habitat.” By replicating this look —or one like it —in the store, you can lure customers and sell them on the value of buying the ensemble, furniture, accessories and all.You’ve seen it first-hand: The unsteady economy has helped discretion leapfrog valor where most of your customers are concerned, meaning many of the big-ticket items in your inventory have been left to collect dust. That’s especially bad news if you’ve invested heavily in outdoor room accessories.

Or is it?

While a poll of garden center operators at the recent Garden Centers of America tour in Portland suggested some facets of the once charcoal-hot craze are listing—“Don’t bring up grills to me,” was one assessment—there remains a viable market for the “staycation.” All it takes is some savvy merchandising skills to make the most of a sunset, a gathering of friends and a penchant for having fun.

“People have been putting roofs on patios all over here, so we’ve tried to create scenes that help them carry out the process,” said Jeanette Boyce, patio furniture manager at Al’s Garden Center in Sherwood, Ore. “We’ve actually had a good year with outdoor room items.”

For the vast display area at the newest of two Al’s stores in the Portland area, Boyce and staff first brought in high-end furniture, mainly wicker. Then they added a variety of accessories that complement the furniture, all designed to create some rather compelling theater.

Bahama Winds wicker furniture is a big draw—literally. As Boyce conducted an impromptu tour of her section, three of the lounge chairs on display were being “tested” by customers—and not just by bored husbands biding time before “The Missus” completed her plant shopping rounds. “It’s like that all the time,” Boyce said. “Comfortable furniture sells.”

Likewise, accessories that match the furniture in style and color. At this Al’s store, Boyce has completed each setting with a colorful patio umbrella, near to which is a display of LED umbrella lights and other add-ons that make the outdoor room more compelling. In addition to wicker loungers or chairs, there are acrylic tables, fire pots, dishware and outdoor lighting products—notably Windflame candles that won’t blow out in the wind.

And—naturally—the store finishes each scene with a variety of beautiful plants such as anthurium and dracaena, each displayed in an attractive container. “We’re definitely a destination spot, where people come to look for outdoor living items,” Boyce said. “Customers come here every weekend, looking for that ‘something new.’ I know we’ve got a chance to sell something as soon as someone says, ‘May I sit down?’”