Designing Your Flooring Showroom: The Goldie Locks Method

Nonn’s Flooring's new Milwaukee, Wisconsin showroom — A streamlined, organized showroom at Nonn’s new Milwaukee, Wisconsin, location.

retail showroom layout — Studies show that clutter and too many items mess up the visual space and confuse consumers.

retail display at Nonn’s Flooring showroom — Wisconsin-based Nonn’s Flooring combines big box prices with boutique selections displayed thoughtfully.

Over my 30+ years of working in this industry, I’ve had the pleasure of traveling and visiting more than 2,000 showrooms. I’ve seen a variety of layouts, displays, presentation boards and merchandising options. In all the best show rooms, they always seem to have a balance of visual impacts, properly displayed items, utilize good spacing, and place a focus on cleanliness (even the bathroom).

The question then becomes, how much product is the right amount to offer? Successful businesses know their market first. Research what is popular in your market, what your consumers are looking for, and what you are good at from a technical installation standpoint. Then showcase the offerings in a clean, organized and thoughtful manner.

Research large retailers from different categories, such as Target, Ferguson and The Tile Shop. See how they merchandise items, research how they display products together to create visual stimulation. You’ll notice that these retailers don’t jam pack the space, nor make it look sparse. It's all about balance. These showrooms use displays, vignettes, work tables and areas for discovering useful information.

Ultimately, your goal is to keep your clients happy and relaxed enough to inquire about your offerings. Studies show that clutter and too many items mess up the visual space and confuse consumers, so follow the Goldie Locks theory: design your showroom just right—not too sparse, and not too cluttered.

Keep positive, Keep solving problems and keep selling.

Operating businesses and retail organizations in many parts of the United States has cultivated Paul Dominie’s passion for sales and design. With more than 30 years of sales, management and consulting experience, Dominie has developed sales programs, managed P&L’s and hiring procedures for multiple companies. He has intimate knowledge manufacturing, commercial (healthcare, education and multi-use), retail, direct sales and product knowledge. Dominie has developed, written and taught classes on sales, design, management and customer loyalty. “My unique ability to be analytical as well as creative has allowed me to understand all aspects of business.,” he said. “I am driven to help companies reach bottom-line profitable results.”

You can reach him at 608-957-5089.