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SurroundingS
Take a page from this St. Louis catalog companys playbook. by KriSTy ALperT

Soft

Although former interior designer robin sheldon has long since turned in her color swatches and measuring tape, her creative roots still shine through in the way she has designed an entirely new shopping experience for women. After leaving her long-time position as the vice president of merchandising for Coldwater Creek, sheldon decided to go into business for herself by creating a catalog company that strives to give women the thing they need most in their lives: time. the one common denominator that every woman has is that no one has any time anymore, and that, specifically, we dont have time for ourselves anymore, says sheldon. Weve all become so incredibly good at multi-tasking, so we put ourselves at the bottom of our long to-do list and seldom get there. While i Soft Surroundings has grown couldnt give people more time in a business, i wondered if there was something i from a catalog-only business to could do with things we have to do anyway, like getting dressed, that could make a storefront operation as well. life easier, more comfortable and save time. Catering to women, the store it was with that mindset that sheldon launched the first soft surroundings specializes in items that are soft catalog on July 19, 1999. Customers flocked to the lush fabrics, enticing accesand comforting. sories and luxurious home dcor featured on each page of the catalog as sheldon

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continued to grow her product offerings to cater to all five senses. each issue of the catalog aspired to evoke a sense of peacefulness and comfort, giving shoppers a relaxing shopping experience in the comfort of their own homes. But sheldon quickly realized the challenge of capturing the softness that each item was chosen for. soft, of course, is the key, she says. And surroundings deals with what you surround your body with as well as what you surround your body with in your house. so the name soft surroundings just seemed to spell out the entire mission that wed set up for ourselves and the soft thing is everything. Were about what you can feel. she said the companys clothing is even ranked for softness, and one of the big challenges they face is showing the softness of something when its photographed. Knowing that most people dont bother to look at something until they touch it, sheldon decided to offer her customers a place to touch, smell and experience all that the catalog offered. the catalog business is great for us, things have always been going well, but if you dissect the pie chart that is the American shopping woman, youll find the majority of women still want to walk through a storefront and touch something before ordering it online or through a catalog, sheldon explains. the internet is still growing each day, but there are still more women that would rather come through that door and be immersed in the experience rather than do it online. so we want to give her all three of those channels: well give her the catalog to curl up with a glass

of wine when she finally gets a few minutes alone, and well also give her the opportunity to shop online in her pajamas at one oclock in the morning if thats the only time shes got, but we also want to give her the full experience of walking through that door. And so, in 2005, the first soft surroundings storefront opened in st. louis, mo. Beyond Bricks and mortar While most people would view it as a challenge to translate the comforting, shop-at-home essence of a catalog into a retail environment, sheldon and her team executed the goal with precision. After opening the first soft surroundings storefront in st. louis, sheldon soon opened two more locations; one in the Arboretum at south Barrington in ill., and one at the Promenade shops at evergreen Walk in south Windsor, Conn. All three stores have been carefully designed to fit the distinctive soft surroundings image. When customers walk through the door, they are greeted by the warm scents of seasonal candles, hand-selected mood music and their choice of a glass of water, cup of tea or glass of wine. the color palette of the stores was carefully chosen to evoke a sense of calm and peacefulness, and includes colors like The shopping environment at Soft river stone Blue and sea foam Surroundings is designed for a green. Customers are instantly calm, peaceful experience. greeted by one of the many cus-

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I think its going to be a long time before customers dont like the experience of going shopping.
tomer service representatives to act as their shopping friend. upon entering the dressing rooms, guests will notice the temperature-controlled atmosphere not too warm, not too cold and a call button that allows them to get service without leaving the dressing room. We try to leave no area untouched or unconsidered, adds sheldon. its a really beautiful experience. theres a journey you take when you go through the catalog, as well as when you go through the store; thats really sort of treasure hunting and exploration and discovery. thats part of who we are. the customer truly understands that this is a place that is just for her. shes encouraged to stay as long as she likes, of course. our average store visit is 45 minutes to an hour. With bathrooms that customers have claimed they wanted to move into, and over-stuffed easy chairs lining the outside of the dressing rooms for sleepy husbands and kids to doze off in while mom is inside modeling her latest finds, its easy to see why sheldons catalog-hungry clientele has so quickly embraced the idea of a storefront. And for the woman hoping to look and feel gorgeous on a fabulous evening out? Well, she can stop in to any soft surroundings location and have her make-up done free of charge. its all about making sure whoever walks through that door feels better when they leave than when they got there, she says. on the pages and on the shelves each product sold online, on the page or in the store has been carefully chosen to hit one of the five senses while also helping each customer look and feel her best. its all part of the senses, sheldon says. Youll find chocolates, since you have to feed every part of yourself. We even sell our own Cds and our own compilations. the philosophy behind each item is by putting yourself first, you can take better care of friends and family and hopefully live a happier, more fulfilling life. it was with that philosophy in mind, and the idea that every woman deserves the right to express her unique sense of style, that sheldon and her team decided to create their own lines of clothing, bedding, perfumes and accessories. the clothing line was born because sheldon felt women deserve to wear clothing that is easy to wear, comfortable and is something they

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can look chic and stylish in but also is something they can relax in and not feel bound. Although the clothing line is supple and indulgent, she is careful not to use the word pamper to describe any of the items because, as she says, Wearing soft, comforting clothes, sleeping on fine linens and soothing your body and mind should be an everyday occurrence, something you owe yourself regularly not just a treat. the store was inspired to create its own bedding because everyone should get at least eight hours of sleep per night to keep healthy and look their best. since its seldom that most people get that amount of sleep (sheldon included), her team decided to help women create sanctuaries out of their bedrooms with beautiful bedding ensembles at great prices that may help them get to sleep a little more quickly. Along with candles, vast amounts of jewelry, their own line of perfumes and various spa essentials, soft surroundings also sells ample amounts of beauty solutions. since the world of beauty products is ever changing and incredibly confusing, sheldon decided to de-mystify that world and save her customers money. each product has been chosen due to its times-saving and solution-solving ingredients. Customers can rest assured that each product has been tested by the staff to make sure it lives up to the high soft surroundings standards. sheldons favorite product right now? online theres this incredible skin care, face cream called one, she beams. it does like 10 different things. it was created by a makeup artist who worked in high definition tV and never had enough time to work on the actors and actresses and was looking for a way to give them a flawless finish, but at the same time wanted to make sure what was going on the face was going to treat it for fine lines, wrinkles and discolorThe bedding ensembles at Soft ation. its great! Surroundings are designed to help other beauty products they women create sanctuaries of their carry in the stores include Perricone md, mario Badescu, sleeping space. rodial, Paula dorf, sue devitt Beauty, Peter lamas, ojon, hair rules, tocca, Zents, seda france, Antica farmacista and others. Working in tandem With hopes of opening three to five more storefronts across the u.s. next year, soft surroundings has experienced the rare joy of over more than 11 years of continued growth. the secret of sheldons success? Knowing her customers. if you want to capture the maximum piece of the pie, i think you have to have all three channels to shop from today in order to be a player in this retail world, sheldon says of her catalog/online/storefront business model. i think its very difficult to just be a catalog and a website. People would do okay with that, but i think its going to be a long time before customers dont like the experience of going shopping. With her three-pieced business model, sheldon has enjoyed watching customers jump from one channel to the next. she notes that once someone comes through her door and understands the quality of merchandise offered in so many arrangements and the level of service they receive, they are more apt to shop through the other channels as well. talking to her customers every day has been key in helping sheldon understand her clientele and create a tailored shopping experience for those women in return. one avenue of communication she uses is her blog. At only two years old, the soft surroundings blog has become a tool for communicating the soft surroundings brand, while at the same time acting as a means for her customers to engage with the store and hear about the latest items available. soft surroundings has truly taken their own motto to heart to create a one-of-a-kind experience that helps each woman who walks through the door or opens the pages online or in the catalog embrace my time, my place, my self. is

faSt factS

Website: www.softsurroundings.com President and Founder: Robin Sheldon First year in business: 1999 address: 1100 N. Lindburg Blvd. St. Louis, 63132 Words oF Wisdom: Rethink everything youre doing. The photo courtesy of Soft Surroundings landscape for retail has changed and the level of the game has elevated, and you want to be sure you have a niche that is strongly unique as well as product that isnt found everywhere. average number oF catalogs mailed annually: 35 million

st. louis #3 The Boulevard (across from the Galleria) Richmond Heights, MO 63117 south barrington (chicago) 100 West Higgins Road Ste R-5 The Arboretum at South Barrington South Barrington, IL 60010 south Windsor, ct 98 Evergreen Way The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk South Windsor, CT 06074

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