by Heather Skelly

avvy retailers know even the most sophisticated consumer can fall prey to the appeal of huge discounts, massive inventories and one-stop shopping that only discount stores can offer. To stay in the game, craft retailers are joining specialty stores in offering customers personalized and exclusive in-store events.

“Today, retailing is all about emotion,” says Wendy Liebman, president of WSL Strategic Retail, a New York-based retail consulting firm. “These kind of events create a much more personal relationship than another sale or coupon.”

Marketing consultants Joel Evans and Barry Berman, partners in Berman Evans Associates, suggest that in-store events are also a great way to maintain regular customers. “Many regular customers feel that their favorite retailers take them for granted by not having any, or enough, special events for them,” the consultants say. Evans and Berman note that events geared specifically toward loyal customers, such as after-hour sales, invitation-only shopping days or exclusive trunk shows, can be done at a fraction of the cost of an event open to the general public and can provide a greater return.

Art galleries in many towns across the country can also take advantage of the local “Art Loops” or “Art Walks” to host instore events. These events usually take place monthly and are a cooperative effort among many local businesses that agree to stay open later and offer shoppers extended hours and other perks.

Mary Benjamin, co-owner of Bluestem Missouri Crafts in Columbia, Mo., says that for their next community-wide “Gallery Crawl” event, they have asked Hans Neumann, a wood artist who has been with the gallery for nearly 20 years, to come in and demonstrate his woodworking skills. “He'll bring his lathe and turn small tops to give out to all the children that come to the event,” Benjamin says. “The whole town turns out for this gallery crawl, held two times a year, and it is a wonderful event.”

At Rendezvous Gallery in Leesburg, Va., co-owner Kate Burton says their monthly “First Friday Gallery Walk,” organized by the local arts council, includes galleries, gift shops and restaurants that stay open late and offer free wine and appetizers to patrons. Burton says they use this well-attended event as an opportunity for an exhibition opening, drawing up to 500 people to the gallery just that night. “Sales are usually good at this time and we find that many regulars attend as well as those discovering us for the first time,” Burton says.

The information in this article was adapted from an article by Heather Skelly, which originally ran in the January 2004 issue of The Crafts Report.

Liebman adds that retailers have to strive to position themselves as more than just shelves of merchandise. They need to create an environment in which customers can feel good about themselves.

Sue and Hardin Abrams, owners of Meadowlark Gallery in Corte Madera and Palo Alto, Calif., say one of their most successful gallery events was a trunk show featuring Sticks furniture. “We paid for one artist and one marketing person from Sticks to come for a weekend to meet our staff and customers,” Sue says. “They explained [their creative] process, from start to finish, about the various pieces of furniture they make and how they can customize their products for each customer, which is their specialty.”