Create an off-season refresh

By Michael Hale

Use the off-season for a retail refresh.

January and February are often slow traffic months for many seaside retailers. The timing is perfect for a store “refresh.” If your budget permits, hiring a designer to help with a refresh is ideal.

If you’re on a tight budget, here are ideas that don’t have to cost a lot but will make big impacts.

Start with paint

Walls, doors and trim getting fresh coats of paint can really help to freshen your store. Repaint areas that accentuate your products and the ambiance of the store.

My favorite colors for stores in tropical locations include the following from Sherwin Williams:

SW 8917 Shell White
SW 6529 Scanda
SW 6772 Cay
SW 6478 Watery
SW 6204 Sea Salt

Good colors for stores in more nautical locations (Northeast) include the following from Sherwin Williams:

SW 7014 Eider White
SW 6871 Positive Red
SW 6811 Honorable Blue

Wallpaper wows

Wallpaper can make for another great wall finish. You can buy simple peel-and-stick or pre-pasted if you don’t have much experience.

"Walls, doors and trim getting fresh coats of paint can really help to
freshen your store."

There are also some wonderful and budget-conscious custom murals that you can design/order online that can create dramatic backdrops for a sense of place.

Hovia.com or Eazywallz.com both have some wonderful tropical designs — all you need to do is select one and enter the size of the wall. You can select traditional wallpaper backing or peel-and-stick.

Cleaning up

If your fixtures or furniture need refreshing, repainting fixtures (if applicable) or even thorough cleaning, can do the trick.

I had a client in Santa Barbara, California, who had a retail store with dark wood cabinetry. It was cost prohibitive to refinish the cabinetry, but we found an inexpensive linen-look printed self-adhesive vinyl (contact paper) that we lined the back of each cabinet with. It brightened each cabinet and made the merchandise really pop.