Key Idea: Stay Focused on Your TargetCarol Schroeder wrote the book on specialty retailing. She says that successful shopkeepers who have made it through the Wal-Mart shake out know that they can not sell anything people can buy at Wal-Mart. |
Key Question:A:
Every specialty shop has a feel to it. You start to analyze the products individually and you can understand why the merchant made them part of the product mix, but no one product makes a specialty shop. The magic or personality of the shop is in the mix. And, what it doesn't have is just as important as what it does have. Q: What makes Orange Tree Imports unique? A: Almost everything about it, from the location on historic Monroe Street to the interesting variety of vendors, products and people. What makes this shop work over the long haul is Carols ability to listen to customers. Think about itAre you doing anything or selling anything right now that is taking you away from your target customer? Are you listening to your target customer? What could you do to learn more about your target customer? Clip from: Orange Tree Imports with Carol SchroederMadison, Wisconsin: Meet a guru of specialty retail, Carol "Orange" Schroeder (just above). She is the author of the book, Specialty Shop Retailing, and she truly walks her talk. With her husband, Dean, they started their business, Orange Tree Imports, soon after graduating from college. That was 1975. Today Orange is a master retailer and a quiet hero in her community. She was an early leader in the movement to revitalize the old downtown. Soon after buying the building on Monroe Street, Orange organized a neighborhood business association to do joint marketing-and-promotion to change the orientation of their old shopping district to be a vital area for specialty shops and restaurants. That worked miracles. Monroe Street now draws people from well beyond the neighborhood, even Wisconsin! Go to all the key ideas and video of this episode... Orange Tree ImportsCarol Schroeder, Founder
1721 Monroe Street Visit our web site: http://orangetreeimports.com
Office: 608-255-8211
Business Classification: Year Founded: 1975 Stay Focused on Your TargetHATTIE: (Voiceover) Today's product mix is based upon a philosophy Orange wrote about in her book, "Specialty Shop Retailing": `You cannot be all things to all people. The ability to find out what customers want and get it for them quickly is one of the strengths that sets a good specialty shop apart from its mass market competitors.' Not a member yet? Learn! Be empowered! Join us! |
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