By properly displaying your Department 56 ® products, you can increase
your sales and reorders of these items by 20-50%. And in the process, you can create a more efficient
department that requires less work to run more smoothly.
Bill Sheldon brings 40 years of retail knowledge to his Department 56 ® product displays.
He takes complete departments in stores and starts from scratch with the
basic fixturing, wiring and backgrounds. The villages are displayed in a very realistic way
and placed behind protective windows. The cabinet is trimmed out to complete the display.
Though important, the actual display is only one piece of the puzzle. Bill Sheldon
not only teaches professional display techniques, proper signing, and lighting,
but also offers employee training, and other retailing skills.
Most stores are constantly running out of the best sellers. Bill Sheldon will show you how to keep control
of your inventory and increase sales. By working with Bill Sheldon, you will discover
simple methods to display better, train your employees better and in the end sell
your product better.
According to Mark Reiland, Dir of Strategic Planning & Analysis for
Department 56, Bill Sheldon redesigned stores have experienced increases in sales of
20 to 56%.
See the results for yourself:
Amato’s Garden Center
Kelly’s Hallmark
Amato’s Garden Center Redesign
The store before and after we redesigned the space.
The completed village displays are shown before the individual plexiglass
windows are installed and village ID signage placed. Notice the
additional lighting under the front lip of the shelf and behind the mountain background.
The display is brightened without detracting from the house lights and street lights!
The dark and uninviting accessories area before and after our redesign. The figures,
cars, wagons, sleighs, etc. are separated by Village and the shelves are labeled for
customers as well as staff. Plexiglass protects the entire display as well.
Both pics above show the tree department. The sets are set-up in individual boards, identified and priced. This makes it easy for customers and staff to see what goes with what. You may also find a customer who just wants trees for her other Christmas items at home. Remember, nothing sells in a box!
By keeping the section including all the hanging items such as replacement bulbs and
in-home display items used to create realistic scenes well organized and filled, you
will certainly see an increse in sales, especially add-ons!
We redesigned the Halloween Department by using painted and electrified shadow boxes for
“Hot Properties” and stone and rock colored bases and backgrounds for a creepy effect.
However, the individual items still stand out and can be clearly identified. The Department
56 tent cards are glued to picks and stuck in place. The plexiglass protects
the items from breakage and theft. The rock walls are done with silhouette
lighting from behind and glittered to complete the effect.
Kelly’s Hallmark
The beginning prep and staging area. The fixtures are ordered in white
making a brighter, cleaner look. The electrical feed has been run and the “Blue Sky”
background has been installed.
Fixture set-up with the Blue Sky backgrounds.
The lighted mountains are in place.
The 5 shelves are each used for a separate Village and the Tree Department
is placed on top. The trees that light and blink are working which shows them
off at their best and catches the customer’s eye. This style of tree display has
really proven to increase sales!
The individual windows and different lighting effects enhance sales, especially the
lighted gumdrop path!
Without the need for having inventory on the floor, we were able to create a
particularly clean and classy look. Brass J-channel holds the individual Plexiglass
windows in place. These windows lift out in seconds allowing for quick removal of samples and
installation of new items.
A clearly defined accessory area is a critical part of add-on sales. An installed bin
for the blankets and bags of snow keeps all the baskets off the sales floor.
The shelving for figurines, cars, wagons and sleighs are labeled by Village
name helping make each piece or set easy to find and identify. Plexiglass does
not cover the open stock on the bottom shelf.
Pleasant Pools
Newly painted walls will brighten the area greatly from the dark paneling
they had previously.
Setup is nearly complete!
A close-up of the Tree Department that has really proven to be a winner for them!
Realistic details shown in actual use…
…that collector’s want to duplicate in their home…
…are the best way to sell!
Pleasant Pools normal “Home Improvement” shelving.
The previous shelving after it’s been trimmed up and transformed into
the accessory department!
Mary’s Hallmark
A mix of Village displays and stock can go on the same fixtures when properly organized.
Due to back room space limitations, this store required stock on the floor.
The three center shelves were used for village displays with the stock placed above and below.
Here is an overview of all 9 sections of the store. The first section is for hanging items and snow, the next
6 sections are for the 5 Villages they sell and a Hot Properties section.
The final two sections are used for accessories and trees. Boxed items such
as streetlights and adaptors are placed here as well.
Memory Lane Redesign
Memory Lane village refurbushing from the Summer of 07. There are before, during & after images.
Delaware Park
Delaware Park Horse Track & Casino in DE. This is a corner of their gift shop displayed for a private party.
