Sometimes it works out that if you build it, they will indeed come.
Eight years ago, Collins Stuart was in the awning business in St. George, Utah, when he saw a need in his area for someone to sell high-end patio furniture, so he started out selling out of a warehouse with a small storefront.
And that was not unlike lighting a fuse.
Outdoor Living Fine Furniture & Accessories grew into an 8,000-square-foot space, with plans to move in the next year into a 14,000-square-foot space. Instead of opening a second Outdoor Living location, Stuart opened another store concept with midgrade patio furniture available at lower price points called Patio Furniture, which has locations in St. George and Las Vegas.
Amanda Lisardo, general manager of Outdoor Living, says that business is going well but that they, like so many others, are seeing an economic shift post-Covid.
“We have quickly made changes, as we did not do heavy early buys for 2023,” says Lisardo. “Along with that, we have been made more aware of the vendors that have had more inflation. We are definitely aware of the bottom line and have picked up lines that offer stocking discounts and other incentives. We are continuing to see long lead times and that affects business tremendously, from cancellations to customer satisfaction. In the past, we were 80% customer order and currently we are about 20%.”
She adds that the changes have prompted the store to be more strategic in choosing suppliers, while offering financing and shifting more to selling in-stock items, while looking closely at the stock that will be offered. The decision on what to offer depends on customer service, reps, quality and price.
“We are high end and pride ourselves on creating a great experience for our customers,” says Lisardo. “If we carry a line and it has consistent warranty issues or lack of quality, we will drop or not showcase the product. Price is slowly becoming an issue. We work with a well-off clientele, but inflation has slowed things down. When a chair that retailed on our floor for $1,600 two years ago jumps to $2,100, it has been an issue and customers are having a harder time with price.”
To market the goods, Lisardo says the store went with an in-house marketing director, which has made a huge difference over a well-known marketing firm, which store management came to believe never quite captured the essence or image that they wanted for Outdoor Living.
To compete against full-line stores or online sellers coming into their space, Outdoor Living concentrates on being the experts in creating exceptional backyards — and competing on price.
“We live in a small town — we work and support vendors who give us exclusivity in our area,” says Lisardo. “We also make it a No. 1 priority to have excellent customer service and follow-through. Our staff is amazing!”
Any advice for struggling casual retailers?
“Adjust where you can,” says Lisardo. “Step up the customer experience and hire in-house marketing staff.”
