Home accents comprise 80% of the space at Linda and John Wolbert's Madeira Beach shop, where year-round residents are the "bread and butter" of the business and tourists are the "icing on the cake."

Nonetheless, Wolbert said she loves retailing, especially as it allows her to create an entertaining, one-of-a-kind shopping experience. "We play steel drum music performed by Florida artists Steve Hendrickson and Doug Walker and we sell their CDs. The upbeat music creates a happy mood and is the perfect background for our coastal/tropical offerings." Complimentary beverages are served daily from 4–6 p.m.

"Our sales floor is divided into 10 sections which we merchandise as vignettes. Displays are based on colorways, themes or seasons and are changed often by a staff that delights in using merchandise to create collages," Wolbert said. "Having a distinct style of presentation and incorporating theater into what we do is very satisfying. We are sort of the 'Cheers' of retail, a place that knows our customer's name."

Sign of the Dolphin, founded in 1996, offers promotional to high-end lines in 4,000 square feet of selling space and has six employees. Home accents are devoted to 80% of space and accounted for 60% of 2008 total sales. Home accent categories include accent furniture, lamps, lighting, wall decor, decorative pillows, throws, permanent botanicals, area rugs, tabletop and garden accessories. Sales in 2008 were less than $1 million.

Key vendors: Cape Craftsmen, Beachcraft, Uttermost, Three Hands, Stylecraft, Pacific Coast Lighting, T.I. Design

What markets do you shop? We attend at least 10 trade shows a year.

Describe your customer. Local residents, year-round and seasonal, are our bread and butter. They bring in their friends and family; we are on the "tour." Tourists are the icing on the cake.

How do you handle/adapt to the off-season? Traditionally we have two slow months, June and September, and we use that time to prepare for fourth quarter.

Do you see any trends emerging or remaining "hot" in home accents for your area? Our customers seem to be buying handmade or hand-finished home accents.

How do you reach your customer? We advertise on television and in Tampa Bay magazine. We have a printed brochure that we use as a handout and have on occasion had inserted into a local newspaper. Our e-mail newsletter keeps us in touch with everyone on a regular basis. We support a myriad of causes from All Children's Hospital to Hospice. Residing in the library of the Madeira Beach Middle School is an 8-foot dolphin statue that we donated.

How have you been affected by/responded to the economic downturn? We have not been immune to the downturn in the economy. Our number of sales are up, while the ticket is down. We have responded by increasing SKUs of less expensive goods to broaden the variety.

Web site: signofthedolphin.com