It’s easy to get into a creative slump year after year when it comes to in-store holiday decor. But if you can create a fresh experience through visual storytelling, it can differentiate you from competitors. “Decor absolutely impacts sales,” says Georganne Bender, principal of Kizer & Bender, a retail-strategy consulting firm. “You want [to create] an atmosphere that’s going to put your shoppers in the mood, subtly encouraging them to buy more gifts. That means making sure things look festive.”
Catch Holiday Shoppers Early
With two out of every five shoppers starting to browse and buy holiday gifts before November, according to the National Retail Federation, it is a good reason to have your visual merchandising plans in place sooner rather than later. If you need a little creative inspiration for props, Bender suggests a stroll through HomeGoods or Michael’s. “You will find at least one thing that will inspire you,” she says. “Pinterest is another great place to look.”
Mannequins in Motion
There is an entire Pinterest board, for example, dedicated solely to mannequins styled in dance-related poses. It’s curated by Mannequin Madness, an Oakland, CA, company that sells, rents, and recycles mannequins. “Mannequins bridge the gap between imagination and reality for shoppers,” owner Judi Henderson says. “[They] allow you to stand out and be unique.”
Henderson recommends displaying mannequins so there is a sense of movement, which is easiest to do if they have moveable joints, are already positioned in athletic poses, or if you add wooden, moveable arms to a dress form. Some standout concepts Henderson has seen over the years include a pile of legs (loose, surplus limbs tend to be a budget-friendly option), a sideways mannequin suspended with fishing line, or a headless mannequin with an interesting prop instead of a head. “Doing something unexpected doesn’t have to cost a lot of money,” she says. “Just lifting the arms of a mannequin can look dramatic.”
Mannequins clustered in groups of three, especially when displayed in a window or on a platform, are especially effective, Bender says. “You can utilize tulle as a skirt and then merchandise on the fabric with earrings or smaller accessories,” she says.
Positions Dance Studio Store has a small mannequin by its front windows, dressed in a “cute dance dress,” according to owner Kelly Peckholdt, to catch the attention of people passing by. Located in Babylon, the 3,000-square-foot dance studio includes a retail shop and lobby of about 600 square feet. Allegro Dance Boutique, which has two locations in the Chicago area, also utilizes window mannequins. “I always try to make the mannequin feel included in the theme, whether in the window holding a prop or wearing a color-coordinated leotard or dancewear,” says Danielle Keys-Magaña, manager of the Barrington, IL, location. “My goal is always to make the store feel like the season we are trying to capture, rather than just add decorations.”
Seasonal Themes
When it comes to late fall decor, Keys-Magaña utilizes things that remind her of autumn, like plaids or red and orange leaf garlands, which then may become window accents to highlight the mannequin and its attire. If you’re thinking about pumpkin lattes, gingersnap cookies, apple cider, Thanksgiving dinner plans, and cozy clothes, your customers are likely doing the same. Show them that when they come to browse. “Try and keep the color palette consistent through mannequins and displays. It makes the store as a whole look cohesive and put-together,” Keys-Magaña says.
The same goes for the Christmas season, and using the Nutcracker as a theme is a natural choice for many dance retailers. “December is all about the Nutcracker,” Keys-Magaña says. “Recently I have been picking different scenes from the ballet and decorating from that.” One year, her store highlighted the “Snow” scene and covered the windows in snowflakes made from paper and spray, and used fake snow on the mirrors. Last year, they took inspiration from the “Land of Sweets” section of the ballet, which meant decorating mirrors as gingerbread houses and transforming windows into a candyland.
Endless Possibilities
“Dance stores can do a candy cane theme, an all-white theme with Frosty the Snowman, or just pinecones, or go with red, gold, and green,” Bender says. “There are lots of ways to decorate your store. You just want to have a warm, festive atmosphere that is different from any other time of the year.”
Hannah Maria Hayes has an MA in dance education from New York University and has been writing for Dance Media publications since 2008.