I am a firm believer that having in-store events throughout the year is a must for home décor businesses and vendor stores.
When holding events a few things could happen for you (and your vendors)
1. You can get your repeat customers to come back sooner.
2. You are attracting new customers to your business.
3. Sometimes merchandise that you’ve had for a while will sell.
4. The obvious reason is that events help increase sales.
5. You’re showcasing new products to your customers.
Holding events is an easy way to get more traffic into your store. I recommend holding an event at your store monthly or with the minimum being every other month. You might be thinking “okay, Liz. That’s great and all, but what events could I possibly hold every month? I need ideas.”
No worries. I’ve got you covered. Here are some event ideas/themes for you.
EVENT IDEAS
Grand Opening – obviously this is one you should’ve already done
Spring Open House – get your Spring decor/items seen by customers. Call it a Spring Open House or get more clever with the name (Spring Fever, Flower Fest, etc…)
Fall Open House – Flaunt your Fall items at a Fall Open House ( or named something more creative.)
Winter/Christmas Open House – Showcase your winter and Christmas items at a Holiday open house or name it something more charismatic or keep it direct and to the point.
Meet the Vendors – This is a good one for vendor stores. Invite your vendors to stand in or outside of their booth and greet customers. Customers will get to meet the vendor of their favorite items. Another added bonus is to have your vendors offer a treat to customers; candy, cookie, etc…
Home after the Holidays – This one was a big hit in our store. Christmas has come and gone, your decorations are all put away, and now you want to change up your home with some new decor. Invite customers to shop for new items.
Girls Day Out – Pretty self explanatory. Encourage customers to bring their moms, grandmas, friends, etc… to enjoy a day of shopping. Just a recommendation… don’t make it for females only. Invite the men too.
Summer – Showcase Summer items (red, white and blue) Give it a slick name like Summer Lovin’ or Summer Days.
Fundraiser – Hold a fundraising event with a local charity. Think pet adoption event.
Collab with other stores – Coordinate events with local stores. Hold a shop hop where customers go from one shop to another. Typically there’s an incentive for the customer if they visit all of the local shops that are participating; a gift certificate or gift basket with items from every participating store.
Valentine’s Day – Hold an event for spouses or significant others to shop for their loved ones for Valentine’s day. Hold the event the weekend before Valentine’s day. Call the event Sweethearts Day Out or Galentine’s Day event or Love is in the Air or something like that.
Mother’s Day or Father’s Day – These events will cater to customers looking to buy gifts for their Mother or Father.
Home Sweet Home – Just a generic shopping event trying to get customers in the door.
Ugly Sweater – Have your customers wear ugly sweaters when they come in for this event. Choose a winner on whose is the ugliest. Held in December.
Ladies Night Out – The ladies Night Out event caters to ladies where they’ll bring their gal-pals and shop. Some businesses will offer free wine with these types of events. Do your due diligence when it comes to these events. Names could include Mom’s Night Out, Thirsty Thursday, or Eat, Drink & Be Merry.
Late Shoppers Night – Typically held in the beginning of December. Stay open late for shoppers to come in and Christmas Shop.
Drinks and Shopping – Open an hour early one day and hold an event with food and drinks. Ideas include Muffins & Mimosas, Sip and Shop or Brunch & Bubbly. Do your due diligence when it comes to these events.
Small Biz Saturday – This event is held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It’s a way for you, as a small business, to say thank you to your customers and invite them to continue shopping with you.
Trick or Treat – Invite customers to Trick or Treat with you. Offer candy or a discount or something else. Your choice.
Workshops – Are any of your vendors creative and make items? Would they be willing to host a class and teach customers how to make a specific item?
What event ideas have you done that were successful for you and your business? Wanna hold an outdoor market? See my tips on how to do that here.