WINDOW DRESSING; STORE DISPLAYS PIQUE CUSTOMERS' INTEREST

Dimple Bridges worked on the window displays at Garbers Mens Wear in preparation for prom season. Dimple has been the visual merchandiser at Garbers for 25 years.

Window displays are most visible at night as potential customers pass by the stores.

Renea Copland worked on one of the displays at C. P. McGintys Jewelers in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Big window displays may be dying out, but they are an important part of some retail businesses.

The silent salesman is what Rodney Bridges, owner of Garber's, calls his window displays. Garber's is a men's clothing store in the Town Plaza.

"I would hate to think of doing business without windows," said Bridges. "People come in and want to buy the outfit in the window. I didn't even have to say a word."

Windows are supposed to grab attention, said Dr. Paula King, chair of the human environmental studies department at Southeast Missouri State University. King teaches a class called Display Design.

The main focus of the class is learning to show things at their best. The class is made up of three different majors, King said. Fashion merchandising majors learn typical window and floor displays used in department stores, interior design majors learn how to design entire room displays and historic preservation majors work with museum displays, King said.

"The main purpose of displays is to stimulate interest for people to buy things," King said. "Designing a display shares a lot of the same principles as designing ads and clothes. Displays have to grab attention fast and make you want to do something about your interest."

Susan Dean, a sales clerk at Hecht's main store downtown, helps assemble the store's window display. "Basically, we try to display clothing that is the same color or look in a way that will draw attention," she said. "The main thing we try to do is to have something pretty and eye-catching in the window."

Dean said the windows will be changed to look more spring-like.

Displays should only be used for short periods of time. "Displays should last about a week," King said. "Once people get used to your display they don't see it anymore, which is the kiss of death."

Fewer stores have an enormous amount of display windows, because it is too expensive to give up floor space for display, King said, adding: "Cast-a-ways and Hecht's are the only stores in town that have the typical old-time, huge window displays."

"Most stores can't afford big windows anymore because they take too much merchandise off the floor. Sales success is measured in dollars by square foot of store space, so every foot counts."

However, Cast-A-Ways, a consignment store on Broadway, still has large window displays.

"We have a lot of people who think we are a department store because our windows are so big," said Gayle Dragon, manager of Cast-A-Ways. "Others don't know what kind of store we are, so they come in to find out."

Dragon said that all the merchandise in the windows are items taken in on consignment. The store makes do with what items they have. No additional items are purchased for the windows. The goal is to try to keep it decorated and looking nice.

Many of the stores in West Park Mall have very small display windows or no windows at all.

Ceclia Gerecke, owner of Victorian Memories in the mall, has small display windows on each side of her store's entrance.

Most stores in the mall are open, she said, allowing shoppers to look directly into the store. Because people cannot see directly into the store the display windows are very important when showing the store's products.

To compensate for her store's small window displays, Gerecke uses carts and retail merchandising units in the mall. Retail merchandising units are window displays set up in front of empty stores. Carts are free-standing display cases along the corridors of the mall.

"I use the units and carts as much as possible," said Gerecke. "The more room you have to display your products the bigger statement you make. The units and carts are wonderful because everyone walking by can see them."

She added, "You realize how important displays are when customers come in a specifically request items from the display."