MOONLIGHT ADORNMENTS most successful,” says Gregson. “To me 99 percent of the sales KWYTZA CHOPSTICK ART


without wearing their eco-friendly merits ‘on their sleeve,’ so to speak,” says LaRussa. That requires some consumer education. “Every line of products on display in The G2 Gallery’s gift


shop is showcased with a framed artist’s bio that states where the artist is from and information about the artist’s process. This personalizes the retail space, letting shoppers know something about who their necklace or purse is coming from.” At Natural Luxe, says Branham, the top-selling necklace is


a recycled Scrabble tile pendant. “We keep our display simple with one necklace hanging on display so that customers can feel and see that it is a Scrabble tile,” she says. “It also helps to have shelf-talkers that discuss the recycled aspect of the item and include a short story on the producer.” “We generally display our merchandise with found and


salvaged items,” says Rebecca Biskaduros, proprietor at Sea and Green in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. “For example, our rugs are displayed in old ice cream containers and we keep them labeled to show that they are made of recycled plastic bottles.” For many retailers, being green is


a passion that is reflected not only in their displays, but also in their actions. For example, owner Diane Kraus of GreenTangerine in Los Angeles, hosts a “Green Your Community” block party in which recycling options are offered. In the store, Kraus tells the “back story on every product so everyone can read what it is they’re buying, where it came from and how it was made.”


AURORA GLASS


Excitement sells Both vendors and retailers say that ultimately what helps the most is the passion that they and their staff convey as they interact, one-on-one, with customers. “You do need to talk to the consumers and let them know what it is all about,” says Kraus. “I think the retailers that are the most excited about the products


THE URGE TO ADORN process, whether it’s me making the sale, or a retailer selling it,


THE 3 SISTERS DESIGN CO.


are is for them to just absolutely get off on the whole concept—if they’re excited, their customers can’t help but get excited.”


Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business journalist in Chippewa Falls, WI. She writes about marketing and business management issues for national and trade publications and is the author of Marketing With the End in Mind (IABC, 2005).


GREENRetailerMag.com Fall 2010 n


LIQUID TIME AND COMPANY GREENRetailer 101


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