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Planning a Christmas Open House this season is one of the best ways you can jump start your holiday season as a retailer. It’s the perfect way to show your hospitality and love to the many customers who have supported your business this year.<\/p>\nPlanning a Christmas Open House this season is one of the best ways you can jump start your holiday season as a retailer. It’s the perfect way to show your hospitality and love to the many customers who have supported your business this year.<\/p>\n
Our friends at\u00a0Silver Steer & Company in Franklin, Tennessee are planning their “Christmas Reveal Party” this Monday night (November 3rd) and have shared their best tips.<\/p>\n
2. Order Plenty<\/strong> – Running low on inventory on hot Christmas items can make for a stressful season.\u00a0Chances are, if you love something, everyone else will too! So stock up.<\/p>\n 4. Door Prizes<\/strong> –\u00a0Every hour, have a give-away. Silver Steer also gives every customer a gift when they arrive if they have RSVP’d to the event on Facebook Events.<\/p>\n 5. Christmas Wish Lists<\/strong> – Have the open house customers fill out wish lists<\/a> at the event with along with their email addresses. After the event,\u00a0send out emails\u00a0to\u00a0the addresses provided to let them know that a wish list has been created at your store. Aimee says, “We have a lot of customers (especially\u00a0husbands) that appreciate this service. Everyone ends up happy, and the husbands don’t have to wrap the gift!”<\/p>\n 6. Promote Free Gift Wrapping<\/strong>\u00a0– “The best way we\u00a0market\u00a0our shop is by\u00a0having custom bags<\/a>,” says Aimee. “Everyone knows\u00a0where the gift comes from, and hopefully the bag gets reused and carried like a walking\u00a0billboard!”<\/p>\n Their silver kraft bags<\/a> look really festive with our Christmas Flurry tissue<\/a> and red double faced satin ribbon<\/a>. They draw attention to small gift items by wrapping them in clear cello bags<\/a> nestled with crinkle shred<\/a>.<\/p>\n Silver Steer & Co. started as an idea to bring the best in gifts and home decor to Nashville. They wanted merchandise that was heavy on southern charm, but easy on the budget. A California native, Aimee Dodd owned\u00a0an invitation\u00a0store in Orange County where she was a Nashville Wraps customer. In 2009 Aimee made the move to Nashville with her 2 children and songwriter\/producer husband.<\/p>\n Even though their store location is in an upscale\u00a0market, basic business principals still apply. Great customer service is paramount. The staff at Silver Steer & Co. is like a family, and every customer is treated like a welcomed guest. They only carry items that they would want in their own homes.<\/p>\n Silver Steer makes it a goal to listen to their customers and track what is being sold. Because their inventory changes quickly, they always look for trends. For example, they recently decided to try to carry a few clothing items.\u00a0This area of the store took off and the section has grown due to customer demand. This kind of flexibility is essential to success.<\/p>\n For more tips, see our other blog posts:<\/p>\n Christmas Open House Checklist Part 1<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Silver](\"https:\/\/www.nashvillewraps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Silver-Steer-Company-Christmas.jpg\")
1. Save the Date<\/strong> –\u00a0Advertise the event via social media, email lists and\u00a0word of mouth. Silver Steer’s owner Amiee Dodd explains, “We\u00a0capitalize\u00a0on this by putting up sneak peak\u00a0pictures\u00a0of items on Facebook that will be out at the open house as well as pictures of the give-aways.”<\/p>\n![\"Silver](\"https:\/\/www.nashvillewraps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Silver-Steer-Company-10.jpg\")
3. Create a Buzz<\/strong> – Wait to put out your Christmas products right before the event. This helps to create a buzz; customers will be anxious to see what you’re carrying.<\/p>\n![\"Silver](\"https:\/\/www.nashvillewraps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Silver-Steer-Company-8.jpg\" "\\"Silver")
“Nashville Wraps<\/a> prices can’t be beat, and it has been a key in our business as customers appreciate leaving with a wrapped gift they are proud to give.” Her\u00a0staff hears comments all the time like,\u00a0“She was so excited when she saw the gift was in a Silver Steer bag!”\u00a0They also love to hear,\u00a0“All of the gifts under my tree are in Silver Steer & Co. bags!”<\/p>\nSilver Steer’s Beginnings<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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After 4 years of living in Nashville,\u00a0she saw a need in the Cool Springs area for a gift store, especially one with a great selection of men’s gifts. Having experience in owning a retail store, Aimee began looking for the perfect location. Doors\u00a0opened\u00a0in 2013 and quickly gained a strong local following. In 2014 the store moved to a larger suite to\u00a0accommodate\u00a0the growing inventory.<\/p>\nGreat Businesses Begin & End With the Customer<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Customers love all the locally-made products, like\u00a0cute home decor items such as these signs\u00a0and candles by Southern Firefly Candle Company, another Nashville Wraps’ customer located in Brentwood, TN.<\/p>\n![\"Silver](\"https:\/\/www.nashvillewraps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Silver-Steer-Company-3-1024x1024.jpg\")
Finally, their staff\u00a0makes it a point to get to know their customers. They track customer purchases on their POS system. This way when someone comes in it’s easy to find a gift based on past purchases. “Our goal is to make finding a gift easy!” We know that’s your goal too.<\/p>\n