Page 28 - Lighting Magazine - August 2013
P. 28
Retail Spotlight
This rustic/Lodge vignete
receives a realistic touch
with a drop ceiling of faux
tin tiles and an area rug
below.
space within the footprint), he realized he needed
a way to show the fxtures at a comfortable viewing
height. Using his construction skills, he built a se-
ries of three-walled vignetes with his own type of
grid system on the ceiling of each. Instead of the
ubiquitous slated panel walls seen in most lighting
showrooms, he made his own display walls out of
sheetrock and painted them in complementary col-
ors for each design scheme. In other areas, fabric
backgrounds add a luxe touch to the vignetes.
Customers also know that there is a Clearance
room that is separate from the main showroom.
What constitutes when something goes on clear-
ance? There is no set timeframe or rule. I make
each decision purely on instinct, Jordan says.
The Clearance prices are ofen 40 percent of
the MSRP. I don t have a lot of overhead, so I
have a low mark-up, he admits. I also will still buy
samples at Dallas Market. I get a lot of variety of fx-
tures that way, but you have to have the manpower
and the truck to move it out of there, he remarks,
adding, in a nod to his fea market skills, Plus I can
negotiate the price.
Having a good work ethic and some savvy f-
I believe if you are a lighting showroom nancial planning are other tools that have helped
Jordan succeed. When I was geting started, I
that you need to show a lot of would save the money I earned Monday through
Friday and use what I earned on Saturday and Sun-
lights and not just what will sell. day as spending money, he explains. I want to be
Diversifcation is the key to business. as successful as I can, but I also want to put money
back into the business.
5 SMART Never Stop Tweaking Everyone Is Full Time Be Creative
DECISIONS I always want to be beter, and There are 22 employees on The stacked stone sales
LEE JORDAN I change the showroom around staf. I don t believe in having counter that demonstrates
part-time workers; people need
color-changing LED lighting was
continually to keep it fresh.
MADE to work and have benefts. adapted from a kitchen design I
Listen Well did for a house I built.
I got into hardware a year ago Get Noticed
because builders were request- The best [form of advertising]
ing it. Ive done is make my own
billboard. A lot of people see it.
26 enLIGHTenment Magazine | august 2013 www.enlightenmentmag.com
