Messages on Stairs Draw Customers to Upstairs Shopping

With both their customers and employees in mind, Nowco Home Hardware dealer-owners Deanna and Tyler Nowochin embarked on a store remodeling project that added a new shopping destination for customers and office space for employees. Named The Loft, the new space in the Nowochin’s store features housewares, gifts and home decor.

Part of the renovation included adding fun and funny messages on the stairs leading up to the new space. Deanna says Tyler had the idea to add messaging to the stairs to encourage customers to head upstairs, since previous to the The Loft opening, no one was allowed up there.

“About a week before, that night after working late, we went for a mini date and we brainstormed some fun messages to go on the stairs over a couple of cocktails,” Deanna says. “I contacted our local printing company the next day with what we wanted and they had them ready for us pretty quickly.”

Deanna says their customers love the messages. The one people comment on most often says “Your husband called, he said buy whatever you want.”

“The other day a couple was walking up the stairs and read this one, and the wife said to the husband after reading that one ‘Oh honey, thanks for calling ahead!'” she says.

The message at the top of the stairs “Nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy” actually applies well to The Loft as things often sell out quickly, Deanna says.

“Our sales staff are able to use that one when interacting with customers to encourage sales,” Deanna says. “The small investment in those decals has definitely been a big win for The Loft.”

See what other retailers are doing in their stores to engage with customers and the community by checking out our other Checkouts stories.