Specialty Fabrics Review December 2021 - 38

up wasting everyone's time. Generally,
if you have a few lines of fabric,
someone's going to find something
that works for them. "
Renna agrees. " From past
experience I know that if you give
people too many choices, it takes them
way too long to decide. It's a lot like
walking into a department store. "
Consider alternative lighting.
Renna says her showroom offers
different lighting colors (bright white,
blue and soft) so customers can see
more accurately how materials will
look on their own boats.
Offer refreshments. " It's kind
of a small, silly thing, but we have a
mini fridge and snack basket in our
showroom that's surprisingly helpful, "
says Peterson. " I think our customers
enjoy helping themselves, especially
when they bring kids in. "
Stay organized. Showrooms need to
agrees. " And sample and swatch books
help them see the colors pictures don't
always portray. "
Take advantage of cross-selling
opportunities. " A lot of customers
come in for one product, and thanks to
displays, buy something else, " Peterson
says. " They'll say 'I didn't know you
offered that.' It can happen on the
website as well of course, but it's an
added benefit of having products out
and displayed so they can see, touch,
feel, operate and play with them. "
Edit the options. Keeler says many
TOP: To promote cross-selling,
SugarHouse Industries president Mike
Peterson maintains a large showroom with
many different products for customers to
view. The boat is a custom-built 13-foot
scale model used as a display piece.
BOTTOM: SugarHouse employees Ben
Christensen and Courtney McBride are
full-time sales associates who answer
phones, greet walk-ins and manage inperson
sales in the company's showroom.
Photos: SugarHouse Industries.
customers get overwhelmed when
presented with too many options in
the showroom, which is why he doesn't
show them every material and color in
the universe. Instead, he presents highperformance
materials that will be easy
to work with. " I've had to decide: Am
I a fabric distributor or a fabricator? "
he explains. " Keep it simple and direct.
If you have too many options, you end
38 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / December 2021
be tidy even when they double as work
spaces, Renna advises. " Customers can
see where everything is, " she says of
MarineRennavators. " There are a lot of
bins and labeling, and everything stays
in its place. "
ONLINE SHOWROOMS ARE ON POINT
Whether it's created to provide support
for a brick-and-mortar showroom
or to generate sales on its own, an
energetic and thoughtfully constructed
online showroom can also be vital to
a marine fabricator's success.
Greg Keeler
www.oystercreekcanvas.com
" Pictures speak so much for someone
who's shopping around. Pictures and
testimonials are really valuable to have
online, and it's OK to have something
simple where customers can just look
at some of your work. We include links
to vendors and their samples under the
heading 'Products We Love.' "
http://www.oystercreekcanvas.com
Specialty Fabrics Review December 2021

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