Here are two great ideas this month from west coast retailers who are known for their creativity. First is Spokane Art with its Great Arts Adventure Sale and Trade Show which was held September 25,26 & 27 and the second is a clever and appealing home-grown display merchandiser for Montana Gold created by Rhino Art.
Spokane Art’s Great Arts Adventure Sale and Trade Show
Owners and managers Claudia Myers, Vic Davis, Craig Myers, & Linda Nelson have put on a show each year which was held at an off site venue. This year they shook things up by having the store sale and trade show, artist demos, workshops all within their main store in Spokane.
Participating Vendors included: C2F, Artograph, Northlight books, Colart, Encaustikos, Daniel Smith, Golden, Logan, Pebeo, Princeton, Crescent, Canson, Staedtler Mars and naturally MacPherson’s featuring hands on demos from Lyra, STABILO, Liquid Pencil, AA Itty Bitty canvas and CarbOthello.
Pooling the resources of their 3 store locations to the downtown Spokane Art store, Friday night 6-8pm was exclusive teachers, colleges, workshop artists with wine and snacks, all vendors. Master chef Claudia provided the food !
Enthusiastic customers participated in hands on use of many new products. Professional artist demonstrated airbrush, sumi painting, encaustic wax, oil painting, watercolor, pastel painting, Glass painting, mat cutting, acrylic techniques, watercolor painting, tole painting and more. Everyone was inspired to try a new media and share their personal success stories.
By all accounts the show was a super success!
A Most Creative Montana Gold Merchandiser at Rhino Art
Jack Quick of Rhino Art in Encinitas, CA has always been known for his artistic and resourceful store merchandising. Faced with the challenge of finding the best way to show off his complete Montana Gold aerosol selection he considered the manufacturer’s locked cage design, but rejected it in favor of something more in keeping with the “found art” character of his iconic store. What to do, what to do?
The idea came to him when he was searching for groceries in the back of a nearby deli. There in the farthest corner, full of dust and housing the store’s paper bag supply was an old fashioned, non-working refrigerator case. The doors had so much dust you could not see through them. Inspiration and vision struck! Jack came to terms with the owner and plunked out a whopping $300! After some hard scrubbing, new glass and paint, interior fluorescent lights, the result is simply stunning!
