RECESSION BUSTING TIPS:
RUG GALLERY OF TUSCALOOSA
KEEPS LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS
TO CATCH SHOPPER'S EYE

By Janet Herlihy

TUSCALOOSA, AL -- Eric Heinrich purchased The Rug Gallery of Tuscaloosa, AL, in 2004, but he was no stranger to the business. Prior to getting into rug retailing, he operated a carpet maintenance company that cleaned rugs for the former owner.

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This is one in a series of articles on
how retailers and vendors are
fighting the current economic slowdown.

Click on the links below to read all the stories.

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Heinrich wants to be"the" rug source in this small college city, located about 45 minutes from Birmingham."The business has evolved and is now more diverse," Heinrich noted. Heinrich said retailers need to find new and better ways to attract shoppers and survive during the current slump, he advised the following.

1.Take advantage of window displays
and lighting, and keep changing them.
 

"They sell even when the store is closed," Heinrich pointed out. The Rug Gallery has a wall of windows that is approximately 40 feet long and 10 feet high."We keep them full of vignettes of rugs and change them out at least every other week," he said."We get customers in who saw a rug from the street and come in to buy it."

2. Use the Internet so people can get to
 know your store.

Heinrich explained,"We have a website that shows a sampling of what we have and what the store looks like inside and out. It's another window into our store."

3.  Consider television advertising.

"We use cable because it is more cost effective," he said. The current Rug Gallery commercial shows a room with only hardwood on the floor."Then a rug magically appears. showing how a rug adds warmth and style to a room," he noted.

4. Offer as large an assortment as possible.

 The Rug Gallery displays approximately 1,200  rugs in its 5,000 sq. ft. store.. The presentation includes several swinging arm racks as well as stacks. The assortment includes small accent rugs as well as area rugs in all sizes."We have everything from low-end polypropylene to high end hand knotted. The most inventory is in the mid-to high end but I don't want to send sales to home centers. Even some affluent customers like to buy"disposable" decorative accents for some rooms in their homes and then they can replace them every three to five years," he said.

5.Follow the Golden Rule in life and business.

"I want to give everyone who comes into my store the same treatment that I would like to expect for myself. Whether they buy a rug or not, they will leave with a good impression. Word of mouth is the best advertising and we get a lot of repeat customers," Heinrich stressed.

Read All the Recession-Busting Tips:
From Sy Mahfuz, click here
From Wendy Fried, click here
From Edmund Hagopian, click here
From Heather Copelas, click here
From Erich Heinrich, click here

 

ED NOTE: Janet Herlihy is a Texas-based free-lance writer who frequently covers the rug and floor covering industry. She was formerly rug editor for HFN and editor in chief of Carpet & Rug Industry magazine.

Janet Herlihy

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