Seasonal Specialty Stores in Amherst, New Hampshire, has an inventory of pools, patio furniture, spas, game rooms, playsets — and more than 40 flavors of ice cream.
Choosing from flavors such as amaretto and wild red cherry in a trailer in the parking lot out in front of the store before going inside to look at the outdoor goods certainly brings new meaning to the idea of sweetening the deal.
Maggie Mimeault, who is a furniture buyer for the store, says that Seasonal Specialty started out as a small chain across southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts about 40 years ago, then broke off into separate businesses. Two of the stores remain, and they are independently operated.
“The most important thing for retailers in 2024 seems to be price point,” she says. “People are worried about the economy and the upcoming election, so they’re not spending money in the same way that they have in the last couple of years. Other than that, it’s always variety.”
Mimeault says the biggest challenge that she has seen came during the Covid years with a lack of raw materials, including a shortage in aluminum making lead times six to 10 times longer than they had been. More recently, she says, she has seen a slowdown that began last year and has worsened somewhat this year.
“We’re just going to keep doing the same thing we always do — providing quality products and reasonable prices with a smile,” she says.
To get the word out, Seasonal Specialty Stores is trying to find what works best.
“We’re always experimenting with marketing,” says Mimeault. “This year we’ve got email advertising and some radio. In the past, we’ve done TV ads and mailings. We just go with whatever seems to be working at the moment, and for right now, that’s emails and radio.”
She said that competition from both full-line furniture stores and online retailers has been a real challenge.
“As a small, independent business, we struggle a lot with full-line furniture stores getting into the outdoor world,” says Mimeault. “It’s hard to compete with the giant furniture stores in terms of pricing. They order so much more than we do that they obviously get better pricing, and that makes our jobs difficult.
“And online retailers are super difficult to deal with. Luckily some of the brands we carry have MAP pricing, which means that we’re selling our furniture for the same price as the online stores. Even then, though, it’s often hard to compete with the luxury of ordering patio furniture without having to leave the house.”
To make the call on which manufacturers to carry, Mimeault goes to Casual Market Atlanta to review new offerings and see what’s new from its usual vendors.
“We consistently carry three vendors, but the others are always up for discussion,” she says. “We like to carry a mix of styles and materials.”
The goods matter, but so does seniority.
“The way we mostly set ourselves apart from other competitors in the area is because we’ve been around for so long that we’re basically a household name,” says Mimeault. “We also carry pools, pool supplies, hot tubs, grills and game tables, so if you’re near us, and you shop for those things, you’ve probably shopped from us.
“We also pride ourselves on offering the best customer service possible, from sale to warranty and back again. We’ve got customers who’ve been shopping with us since this location opened 30 years ago, and they’ll stay loyal until the end of time. We also offer assembly for no extra charge, which is always a big selling point!”
Any advice for a struggling casual retailer?
“Advice for struggling retailers today is tough,” she says. “This economy is really making it difficult to be in retail right now. Between that and online sales, it’s a difficult time to be a brick-and-mortar store. I think my only advice would be to find what works best for your market and stick with it. Don’t stray too far or try to get too fancy!”
