Posts by Melanie McIntosh
What we do today matters
2020 has been hard. We are dealing with issues globally that this generation has never had seen before. We have access to information that we’ve never had access to before, so we can see scary and terrible things unfold in real-time. Things that don’t physically affect us because they happen in another part of the…
Read MoreSome people see clothing as frivolous
Some people see clothing as frivolous. Some people criticize buying as searching to fill some emotional void with another cheap outfit. This industrialized era of the past two centuries has taught us to consume more. To buy because it’s cheap. We get excited by this idea. ‘Look how much more we can buy while paying as little…
Read MoreI want to live in a community of artisans
Artisans who craft with traditional skills or new technologies. With cloth, or code. With herbs or hardware. I want to buy from skilled people who enjoy their craft. From people who care about the work they do. From people who are proud of their work. I want to buy from the butcher. The baker. I…
Read MoreWhat value are you offering?
Your clients are buying value. Quality. A garment that lasts. One that doesn’t wear out right away. Fit. A garment that fits real bodies. Not a cookie cutter, throw away fashion fashion trend that tries to shape youinto someone else’s ideal image. Love. A garment that feels fantastic. That makes you love yourself. It feels…
Read MoreHow to Achieve Your Goals Faster
Have you ever felt stalled on your goals? Maybe you set goals at the beginning of the year, but unexpected challenges came up. Maybe your sales didn’t grow as fast as you planned. It could be an important deal fell through. Maybe you planned to develop a product in-house, but you can’t find people with…
Read MoreWhy You Need To Build a Profitable Business
How Do You Balance Profits With Sustainability? When you’re an entrepreneur concerned with sustainability, this can be difficult to answer. I’ve been talking to designers lately who have been bringing up some version of this question. Some talk about how hard it is to move forward when you don’t know the right answer. I struggled…
Read MoreShop Spotlight: Hunter & Hare
Shop Spotlights feature shops and boutiques with inspiring displays, merchandising and branding. Hunter & Hare is a carefully curated consignment shop with a cozy, inviting atmosphere. I visited the shop on a grey, rainy weekday morning. I found the tiny boutique filled with customers, and was greeted by a cheery hello from the associate at…
Read MoreHow to Create Customer Dreams in Your Store
Have you ever walked into a store and fallen in love? It’s as if the store was created just for you. It smells heavenly. The lighting is beautiful. Each display is exquisite. The products are calling you. It’s perfect. You imagine… …what that table would look like in your kitchen. …what you’d look like in…
Read MoreThe Self-Fulfilling Sales Prophecy
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a crystal ball to tell what products will sell? It can be hard to predict why one product will be a sales success, and another will languish on the shelves. There may be all kinds of reasons. It can be timing. Product quality. Placement of the product in the…
Read MoreThe Secret To Running ‘Automatic’ Store Events
Some people are morning people I’m not one of them. When I get up, I stagger around with a foggy brain at first. Until my head clears, I can’t do anything that requires me to think. So, I put my morning routine on automatic. I can make coffee and get my day started, when I’m…
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