Pictured: John Ross 

John Ross and Matthew Olin Keller, Louis Boston
Q: How often do you change the displays in your store?
John Ross: I like for customers to see new displays whenever they visit the first floor, so I try to shift merchandise around whenever I’m there. It helps that new merchandise arrives regularly, because it gives me something fresh to feature on the floor.
Matthew Olin Keller: I change the mannequins daily and the exterior windows twice a season and during a sale.

Q: How do you get inspired?
JR: My primary focus is the home and apothecary areas on Louis’s first floor, and I usually let the merchandise inspire my displays. I work with some of the most beautiful product and I want to do it justice with an equally beautiful display. I really enjoy showing customers different ways they might consider having merchandise in their home, like displaying beautiful plates on a wall in an interesting formation.
MOK: It’s a collaborative effort. [Owner] Debi [Greenberg] will give me a preseason “mood” meeting. She’ll mention what will be coming in and what materials she’d like to see, and then I’ll see what I can find to work with and create it. I go to thrift stores, eBay, Winmill Fabrics, and Home Depot.

Q: How important is merchandising in making the sale?
JR: I think a beautiful display can be very enticing, sort of like eyecandy. I’ve also watched something sell right after I’ve moved it to a new place, almost like just giving something a little more attention has imbued it with an energy that attracts customers.
MOK: My displays help. Everything I do is enhancing the product. We take all of these different vendors from lowto highend and create outfits. It’s like creating a closet for someone.

  Filed under: Public Displays of Affection