Home Accents Today announces 50 Retail Stars for 2009
2009 50 Retail Stars
Susan Dickenson & Dana French -- Home Accents Today, 5/1/2009
During the course of reviewing nominations for this year’s Retail Stars list, it was suggested by more than one reader that perhaps this year’s list should be renamed to “Retail Survivors.” That’s probably due to the fact that when we announced our call for nominations, America’s retailers were already experiencing the screeching halt of customer traffic brought on by the financial fall-out of the first quarter, coming right on the heels of the ugly last quarter of 2008.
Nonetheless, by mid-April we found ourselves looking at another great stack of nomination forms. And from those we’ve chosen 50 retailers of home accents who demonstrate a knack for merchandising, are vital members of their communities, and/or have managed to distinguish themselves from their competition in order to be successful.
In fact, despite the “Survivor” suggestion, one thing that does distinguish the 2009 list from those in years past is its impressive staying power. Ten of the stores on this year’s list are at least 50 years old and almost half of the list has been in business for at least a decade. One store, Snow’s Home & Garden of Orleans, Mass., might just be one of our oldest retail stars to date. Known as “Cape Code’s Ultimate Shopping Destination,” Snow’s has been owned by the same family since its founding in 1887.
Our 2009 Retail Stars also own a lot more selling space (over 2.6 million square feet) and employ about three times more people (3,400) than last year’s list.
Thirteen of this year’s retail stars sell in at least 9,000 square feet of space. The largest retailer on our list this year is Art Van Furniture, which groups accessories and rugs in its furniture vignettes at each of its 30 Michigan stores, representing a collective 1.5 million square feet.
But we’ve also seen some pretty impressive things happening in much smaller venues. Four of the retailers operate in less than 1,000 square feet of space, the smallest being Total Bliss, a 300-sq.-ft. shop within a retail/design center in Huntersville, N.C.
As a group, our Stars have also demonstrated that a Web site is no longer a novelty. Almost every shop is online -- some selling, some even blogging about their businesses. Where more and more appear to be differentiating themselves are through store-branded products, private labels and lots of customization.
If you don’t subscribe to Home Accents Today and would like to see our list of the 50 Retail Stars for 2009, a copy may be purchased for immediate electronic download here: http://furnituretodaystore.stores.yahoo.net/hoactop50res.html
Talkback
Related Content
Related Content
