I visited this shop, Into The Wind, recently and was impressed with the extent of their specialisation. They sell wind related products like chimes, weather vanes, flags, kites and more. Their specialisation was focussed and deep. They do it well, and this drives traffic.
More and more newsagents are doing this, chasing new traffic through deep specialisation outside what has been traditional, leaving traditional newsagency lines in the shop often but as the impulse rather than destination purchase.
Inside Into The Wind, on the Saturday I was there, the shop was visually busy and busy with shoppers. I am usually not a fan of visual business but in this case it works a treat. Here is how it looked:
There is no rulebook for this type of specialisation. In my experience, it is best found organically, in collaboration almost with local shoppers, personal interests and a knowledge of what you can do online to find shoppers beyond those who walk past the front door of the business.
I think every indie retailer needs to be aware of specialisation opportunities beyond what has been usual for their shingle – such is the state of retail today.
I am grateful for the opportunity to see plenty of specialist retail stores, some of which I share here. Some make sense for a local situation wile others have me wondering, like:
