So Witt has created a store that aims to feel
like a home. She serves food and snacks, and
helps shoppers put outfits together. She’s
invited other local businesses to sell in her
store, giving her customers something else to
consider if they don’t feel like buying clothes.
As small and independent retailers begin
the holiday shopping season, they’re finding
ways to give shoppers a reason to spend
with them, not at the big stores like Target,
Walmart and not with Amazon and other
online merchants. For many store owners,
the answer is to give customers a unique
experience, one that’s more personal
and emotional than at the big boxes, and
to provide services that outweigh the
convenience of ordering from online sellers.
The steps they take can be obvious, like
offering special holiday merchandise, or they
can be subtle, like changing signs in stores or
the look of a website.
Aware that customers might prefer shopping
on Amazon because they don’t have to leave
the house, Witt has added a shopping service.
She and her staff take a customer’s gift list and
finds items that fit.
“If we do not have it, we will still source items
from other retailers for them,” Witt says.
Many toy retailers create a unique experience
for shoppers by allowing them, even younger
ones, to play with the merchandise. At
Finnegan’s Toys and Gifts, there are age and
size appropriate tables and chairs so children
and adults can engage with the toys and the
store itself, says Karen Leppmann, owner of
the Portland, Oregon, shop.