| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
{igallery id=8341|cid=614|pid=6|type=category|children=0|showmenu=0|tags=|limit=0}FIVE COOL THINGS1. COOL INTERIOR – Its clean white walls and chunky wood and marble fittings are the standout feature of Moondance’s design. And while providing a surprisingly modern look, they’ve actually been in place since the store opened in 1989. “We’re trying to grow old gracefully,” says owner Orly Ohebsion. “We want to keep the feel of it.” 2. PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS – The store regularly takes part in fundraising activities with local schools, contributing pieces for raffles and auctions or running a booth at school fairs (and sharing the revenue with the school). Mothers are a core customer group, and the community work is a great way to stay in touch with them. 3. DESTINATION STORE – Google “Moondance Jewelry Gallery,” and you’ll be presented with an impressive list of media references including fashion magazines and a surprising number of tourist guide listings such as National Geographic. Ohebsion says the store doesn’t do any active PR, and that its high media profile is driven almost solely by word of mouth. 4. BLOG STYLE – The store recently shifted the focus of its marketing to make mailers and website more “blog-like.” “Rather than focusing on products and their prices, we started to highlight the inspirations behind the pieces, celebrities who have been spotted wearing our designers, events taking place in our neighborhood, and welcoming new stores that open on our street. The response has been huge since we are making our marketing more of a conversation than a sales pitch,” says Ohebsion. 5. DID WE MENTION CELEBRITY CLIENTS? – The list goes on: Anthony Hopkins, Maria Shriver, Marcia Cross, Tyra Banks, Julia Louise Dreyfus, Amanda Bynes, Blythe Danner, Billy Gibbons, Tony Head, Whitney Port, Jakob Dylan, Calista Flockhart, Peter Gallagher, Marg Helgenberger, Shiva Rose McDermott, Jason Patric, Rhea Pearlman, Kelly Preston, Dennis Quaid and Amber Valletta. Then there are the editors, casting directors … WHAT THE JUDGES SAYJim Ackerman: The Moondance ambiance is very appropriate for the Santa Monica setting. Interior and exterior match well in a laid back style that says SoCal. The shift to the “bloggish” email campaign is nicely executed without leaving out a special offer. Nicely done. Larry Johnson: I really like the open feel of the store. It is very inviting and seems to make me want to look at the merchandise in every case. Isn’t that what good design is supposed to do? Maeve Gillies: The fresh, modern product and the way it is presented is very upbeat, approachable and sophisticated. It represents an aspirational lifestyle. The personal approach to social marketing using images of real customers and sales professionals wearing the product adds a genuine feel that makes it even more desirable. Ellen Hertz: Moondance has found a way to merchandise a relatively small space to offer such a wide array of jewelry — both in terms of the number of designers represented as well as the wide price range — in a manner that looks neat and clean. I think that it’s very cool that a former employee was so inspired by the store that she decided to buy it! Stephanie Maxey: Quaint, simple and comfortable. The recessed wall displays combined with the play of light from the wall mirrors add to the interest of this boutique. The jewelry is uniquely beautiful and displayed in showcases which look well illuminated. The exterior is nice and straightforward. |
Josh WImmer has been a contributor to INSTORE since 2006. He has coordinated the annual America's Coolest Stores contest for several years. The job mostly involves pestering jewelry store owners to start their contest entries, pestering jewelry store owners to finish their contest entries, and figuring out computer problems over the phone from hundreds of miles away.
It all starts with understanding your clients and having differentiating characteristics in your store.
Just because it works well for big box retailers is no reason to shun the…
Discover the Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship by June 12, 2024, for up to…
This website uses cookies.