Store Fixture Criteria

Cost, quality, and service are the three standards that retailers regard in all parts of the industry. This is invariably true during the process of purchasing store fixtures and creating a retail display design. The priority of these three criteria shuffles depending on the individual, but it is the goal of most to find a balance. Retailers want something that is durable and made with quality, provides excellent display service, while at a reasonable cost as well. To determine the best store fixtures that will fit these criteria for a particular store, retailers need to know what they are looking for.

Determining a store fixture according to shape, function, fit, finish, and fabrication will narrow the search dramatically and bring the purchaser much closer to meeting their criteria. The shape of a fixture describes one of six basic shapes, though it is not limited to these. Shelving, countertops, showcases, wall displays (such as slatwall displays), merchandisers, and garments racks are the most common of retail store fixtures. Usually the type of merchandise helps determine the necessary shapes. It is also important to consider the amount of products displayed by a single fixture compared to the cost of the fixture.

This brings us to function. Merchandise capacity will determine the amount of merchandise that can be displayed. If store fixtures are already at max capacity, chances are, the floor space is not totally utilized. It is extremely helpful to use larger fixtures where possible and display merchandise according to floor space rather than limited display fixtures. More efficient and functional displays will increase the number of items shown and have a direct influence on sales.

The fit of a fixture refers to the assembly, or movable parts. Units that need to move frequently must be durable and have a minimum number of moveable parts. The more pieces that separate or move, the less likely a fixture will last. However, for more stable store fixtures, smaller parts and accessories may bring a lot to the display arena. Slatwall or gridwall displays with customizable accessories are very professional and greatly enhance specific, valuable, or featured merchandise. Similarly, any fixtures with glass should stay. No manager or owner wants to be moving the glass showcase to the other side of the store once a month.

The finish and fabrication of store fixtures complete the ensemble by creating a visually coordinated sales floor. Customers see consistency as success, and making decisions like staying with wood finish or changing every thing to fit a new color scheme will keep your sales floor recognizable and appealing. It is better to get rid of an odd ball expensive fixture rather than keep it on amidst an entirely new floor design.

Keep these fixture qualities in mind and use them to create a narrowed list of desirables. This list can then be balanced according to budget, quality, and functional service, but don't be afraid to ask a few customers what they think. Not only will you often gain insightful information but most customers will get a kick out of helping in the store design process.

Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online provider of slatwall displays and other retail store fixtures. For more information, please visit http://www.slstoredisplays.com

How To Effectively Use Home Lighting Fixtures To Enhance Your Home Decor

If you are looking to redecorate or are in the mood for a new lamp or light fixture, you can just go out and buy a lamp with a light bulb in it. Or start using light as a decorative feature in your home, which can be a lot of fun. You can choose styles in home lighting that create a mood, cast shadows, give you crisp lines on a wall or highlight artwork or decorative pieces like furniture and plants.

Start thinking outside the box like a home decorator would and you’ll discover lighting products that will add comfort, safety and style to your home. The buzzword these days is flexibility (which means – layers of light controlled by numerous switches and dimmers) with the objective to control or eliminate glare. Today lights are more energy efficient and adaptable to different uses in the home. Light bulbs like fluorescents and halogen bulbs com in 100’s of colors and designs.

As far as lamps and fixtures go size does make a difference

Home lighting fixtures are becoming smaller all the time. The reason for this is unless you are showing off a particular style of lamp or light, it should appear to be invisible. There are certain styles that do this very well. Halogen pendants, wall sconces and low voltage track and rope lights are only some of the most popular. Good lighting for the outdoors has the same principals applied to them. They should highlight certain features of your property plus add security and warmth. It is particularly important to hide them as best you can.

Decorative lighting styles to think about

Task Lighting:

• These are generally used in places where some type of work is being done like reading, sewing and craft work. This is usually accomplished by adding a reading lamp or table lamp. They should be adjustable so that you can correct any glare from casting a shadow on your work.

Accent Lights:

• Are used to show off a certain feature wall art, plants or certain areas. They are used to set an atmosphere or create a mood and are sometimes referred to as directional lighting, wall sconces, spotlights, uplights or floor lights. You control the amount by beam spread, intensity and color or a combination of all three. This is wear dimmer switches really prove useful.

Ambient Lighting:

• Is what you need to watch tv with or get around a room without having to turn on the main light. It gives off a soft glow or illumination and is the best light source for cutting out shadows and making a room look inviting. Another benefit is that people always look there best in this type of atmosphere. You can get this effect by using lights in valances, coves and under shelving. You can use track or rope lighting to also create this effect.

Decorative Lamps:

• These are used when you are looking for a home accent and not overly concerned about adding more light, tiffany style lamps and chandeliers are great for this. What they do is draw attention to themselves by their look and feel. In most cases they will have a very decorative lamp shade of stained glass or unusual fabric.

In all the above cases you want to have balance. Remember balance is achieved by layering. A bright light will create shadows across the room so you need to add another table lamp or pole lamp that has a lower watt bulb in it to counter act the shadows. Living rooms require more than one lamp or fixture to soften different parts of the room. Where a laundry room only needs a good strong fluorescent ceiling light. If you are using a chandelier as your main lighting source for instance in a formal dining room you need to have a dimmer switch installed for it. Crystal chandeliers can be very bright and be hard on your eyes. Tone this down a bit and you create a warm and romantic place to have dinner. If you are using fluorescent bulbs you may not be able to use a dimmer switch. They are made to run full strength and not made to be turned on and off all the time.

Carry Staltz is a up and coming interior designer and now offering her tips and ideas for http://www.decormotif.com A site dedicated to home decor accents that inspire people to add items to their home that inspire conversations about your choices in home decor.

Design With Solar Landscape Lighting and Lighting Fixtures in Mind

If you are designing a new home or considering an addition or renovations to your existing home, you may want to design the home considering a solar application, such as landscape lighting or indoor track lighting fixtures. With energy costs escalating, this type of energy-saving device is growing in popularity every day. When it comes to designing your home around solar panels, it starts with the placement of your home on the lot. One of the biggest mistakes made by many people is the failure to take into account all aspects of their home heating and cooling systems. Studies done of people who have designed homes using solar heat or cooling show that the wrong placement of your home on the lot can lead to a situation where you are producing far too much solar heat and the house becomes too hot, or not enough heat and it is too cold.

Here are a few tips to consider. One important consideration, even before you purchase the lot is to make sure that the southern side of the home is going to receive at least six hours of direct sunlight in the middle of the day. It is believed that there are certain parts of the United States that receive more sun exposure than others but this is false. There is sufficient sun exposure everywhere, although there are some areas that have fog and cloud cover more than others. Regardless of where your home is located, you must have the required amount of sunlight on a daily basis. Designing the yard for outdoor lighting fixtures and landscape lighting is all important.

Your home must be situated in such a way that your longest wall will receive the most sun exposure. The more surface you have facing the sun, the more heat and light you are going to be able to generate in your home. However, if you orient the short side of your home to the sun, it is going to produce less heat and be harder to circulate it throughout your home. To adequately produce heat, a large number of windows on the south side of your home is essential. Unless you have solar panels built into a wall, it simply makes sense to orient your home correctly to take advantage of the sun's rays. You also should minimize the use of windows on the north side of the home to keep your valuable heat from escaping. Keep this balance in mind when you're considering the placement of the structure on its lot. Without careful thought and planning to combat excessive heat or cooling, your home will be uncomfortable and it could prove to be one of the most costly mistakes you ever make!

By Terry Price - Learn more about solar lighting and more at: http://www.ceiling-fans-interiors.com/pool-table-lighting.html - Consider solar powered path lights for your home or cottage! http://www.ceiling-fans-interiors.com/139-solar-powered-path-lights.html

How to Buy Wholesale Store Fixtures for Your Business

It may sound funny, but honestly, if you’re opening up your own retail store the last thing you’ll ever want to do again for the rest of your life is buy anything retail -- especially if it’s for your own store. Buying your store fixtures wholesale is not only mandatory it’s a last resort after you’ve tried buying antique fixtures at a fraction of the cost. Even if you’ve hired a top-notch retail store designer, he or she should be buying your fixtures and other materials at prices even better than wholesale. The designer should be charging for his services and not making a markup on the raw materials.

If you’re setting up your store by yourself, you have to shop around to know the best wholesale prices to pay for your fixtures. But expect to pay full price for the design and manufacture of items that must be custom-made for you. For example, if you want a certain look imitated in a new material you can expect to pay a premium for that service as well. But if your tastes are not too esoteric and if your product can be handled tastefully in a variety of attractive displays you should have no trouble finding the right fixtures at the right wholesale prices to fit your budget. Research and flexibility is the key here. After all, whatever it is that you are selling, you wouldn’t pay retail for it, so why pay retail for the fixtures?

There are numerous store fixture wholesalers in and around every city in America. There are enough stores in existence in any major city and enough new ones opening up to make the wholesale market for fixtures a healthy and competitive one. Visit them, get their catalogues when you are planning the look of your store and ask them about closeouts and discontinued items for sale. Their business, like yours, changes with the seasons, the trends and technology. Give yourself time to make your purchase and you may end up getting the fixtures you’ve been wanting at prices even better than you expected.

Store Fixtures Info provides detailed information on metal, antique, wholesale, and used store fixtures and store fixture parts. Store Fixtures Info is the sister site of Mannequins Web.

Residential Lighting Fixtures

One of the most important, yet least considered aspects of residential lighting is ambient fill lighting. Ambient fill lighting is a soft warm light that normally gives the room a comfortable glow by washing light across the ceiling. Residential lighting fixtures include portable and non-portable lighting fixtures. Residential lighting includes the areas to be lighted inside and around a house.

While selecting residential lighting fixtures, one important point to be remembered is that the lights chosen for the interior and the exterior of the house complement each other. Residential lighting includes staircase and building lighting as well. If the area around a house is small and surrounded by trees, bushes or artifacts then small, separate or specially designed lights can be located at suitable points. Lighting fixtures add a special touch and they are available in so many different styles that exterior décor can be matched easily with the interior décor of the house. In a house, different rooms require different lighting. The door entrances of the house when illuminated look inviting and safe. For the dining room, a drop bowl provides a wonderful source of indirect light that covers the entire room. A light switch can be placed in the bedroom to switch on exterior lights incase of emergency. For the area around the house, there are different residential lighting fixtures for the sports areas, pathways, front doors, gates, porches, gardens, and garages. Hence while selecting fixtures for residential lighting, the specific area to be lighted is to be given due importance.

When selecting residential lighting fixtures it is important to be attentive about the size and layout of the residential complex as well the houses within it. Lighting fixtures need to be well distributed around the house and grounds. Preference may be given to soft warm lighting for a general effect over the entire space. Separate on-off switches can be provided for security and play areas. Sensors can be installed to activate specific security lighting. Hence, the right choice of residential lightings can enhance the beauty of the entire residential complex.

Lighting Fixtures provides detailed information on Lighting Fixtures, Bathroom Lighting Fixtures, Ceiling Lighting Fixtures, Outdoor Lighting Fixtures and more. Lighting Fixtures is affiliated with Outdoor Lighting.