Perch Home
Maplewood, N.J.
By Susan Dickenson -- Home Accents Today, 10/1/2009
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| Perch Home owner Michele Bessey has refined her product mix to a point where she can look at an item right away and know whether it is "Perch" or not ... and so can her customers. |
Bessey said the antiques and small treasures contribute to the store's "vibe" and enhance Perch's reputation for stocking unique products, something that's hot with her customers. "People are looking for one-of-a-kind pieces or items with a handmade look. I'm getting more and more customers who want to know where an item was made and they have a preference for goods created in the USA."
In September, Bessey's "Find-and-Go-Seek Road Trips," along with her creative, sophisticated decor and cozy nest of a store earned Perch Home a 2009 New Jersey Life Magazine reader's choice award for Best Home Design Shop. Earlier this year, the shop was named to Home Accents Today's Retail Stars list.
Opened in 2006, Perch Home offers mid-priced lines in 700 square feet of selling space. Home accents accounted for 50% of 2008 total sales; accent furniture and furniture, 5% each; other merchandise includes stationery, jewelry and baby items.
Describe your store: When I first began looking for a shop to rent, retail spaces on the main avenue were way out of my budget. One day I was driving down a side street and saw an apartment for rent. The outline of a large window revealed that it had once been a storefront. I contacted the landlord and convinced him to let me turn it back into a shop for a reasonable rent. I knocked the drop ceiling out to create a high ceiling and opened up two big windows at the entrance. People are surprised at how spacious it feels. I merchandise all the way up the walls and hang something surprising from the ceiling to play up the height. About a year after opening, the apartment next door became available so I busted through the walls, doubling my space from tiny to small!
How's business? Larger purchases are definitely down. People are buying more gifts than objects for their home or for themselves. I particularly felt the crunch in the first quarter. But even though sales are smaller, I have more of them. I am up about 12% for the year and am so grateful to my customers for shopping local.
What makes you different? Unique merchandise and a focus on display and packaging. I can look at an item right away and know whether it is "Perch" or not. And so can my customers.
Describe your customers: Between 30 and 50 years of age, women who moved to suburban Maplewood from NYC and miss the variety the city gave them. When they find my shop, they feel like they've found a hidden surprise. I have extremely loyal customers.
How do you reach your customers? A monthly e-mail newsletter that's a mix of product information, design tips, calendar and content, with a link to my Web site and blog. I think it's important to give them content to read so they don't hit delete. I'm very active with my downtown merchant alliance and help plan events like our Valentine's Day Chocolate Walk, our Spring Open Market, and Girls' Night out. I also host private shopping nights as a fund-raiser for the local PTAs. Some parents do every bit of their holiday shopping that night in order to help the school.
What is the most enjoyable part of your job? I love that I have become a part of my community. People stop in just to say hello, or ask a question. I also love that it so completely merges creativity and business. Few careers satisfy both of those needs.
Tradeshows/markets: New York, Atlanta, and I scour the Internet and magazines for product.
Annual sales: Less than $1 million
Home accent categories: Accent furniture, rugs, decorative accessories, frames, wall decor, home fragrance, lamps, soft goods
Key vendors: The Rusty Hinge, Vagabond Vintage, Peddler's Design, Two's Company, O'Brien Schridde, J. Devlin Art Glass, Dash & Albert Rugs, Architects and Heroes, CBK, Moonlight & Roses, Hudson River Art, Comptoir De Famille
Web site: perchhome.com
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