We love going to market

We had a great time at the Chicago market. We managed to find many things related to home decor but small enough to set on your coffee table. I was too caught-up in the moment to remember to take all the pictures I had intended, but do have a couple of one display. We did purchase from this showroom, and took a picture so we could remember how to merchandise the product for ourselves! There is a lot to be learned by looking at the displays the vendors have. They pay the pros to help them! We come home and try to copy much of what we see----I call it continuing education.

Traffic patterns

According to the required reading for store owners, you should not have a boring traffic pattern in your shop. We moved our bed to the front window and placed our round table in the middle, making a kind of "round about" walkway. Maybe it will make people want to linger a little longer or take two trips around the store to see everything! We still needed the height we gained with the little chair (originally from a local funeral home, hope that's not bad luck!). The round rug can be shown off much better in this location.

I think every rearrangement will be better than the last. With more inventory being added on a regular basis, we may be doing a lot of redesigning. Maybe eventually we'll have it down to a quick hour or two (in our dreams)!

What is a computer rendering?

r
ouYou've heard about "Before and After", but how about "Before, During, then After"? A computer rendering of a window treatment or a room layout is actually the "During". It is the proposed design. You get to see it before you make a final decision. It is what we are working on "during" the whole process. We have the ability to place window treatments with your fabric choice on YOUR window. It is not necessary for every job---some things are easy to see. However, some ideas just don't make sense to the customer until they can see an example. It helps us determine the proportions and make the treatment we are ALL envisioning!

Keep watching for the "After".