Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs. You know the lyric. Retailers know the trend.
From city names and ZIP codes to family names, lake houses and cheeky sayings, signs in a range of materials — cedar, pine, tin, cast iron — are commanding attention in gift shops across the country. They are personal, easy to carry and simple to picture at home.
But signs are part of a bigger decor opportunity.
Home goods continue gaining ground as shoppers look for products that remind them of where they have been and fit naturally into everyday living. Think towels, candles, framed art, trays, pillows, kitchenware and outdoor accents.
Home goods display feature the Texas name drop at the Texas General Store.
At Texas General Store in Grapevine, customers can go big with Lone Star-themed merch for the home. It’s a top-selling category at the 2,000-square-foot store inside Grapevine Mills, a thriving mall.
While home goods include a variety of souvenirs, the common thread is state pride, with some western motif items mixed in.
“We have crosses, wall decor, framed artwork and canvases that range from Texas flags to bluebonnets to longhorns,” says Sherry Barge, store manager.
Location is a driving force in how she purchases decor selections. What visitors want, they find. “Everything has Texas flair,” Barge says.
Local flair
A similar demand for location-based home decor informs purchasing for AMHG Works in Bangor, Maine, where Melissa Shorey runs the shop alongside her husband, Tony.
AMHG’s home goods assortment runs the gamut and includes outdoor decor, giftable artwork and lots of local pride merch. Creative displays encourage browsing and buying.
“We listen to what people want, keep the selection fresh and change up our displays,” says Shorey of why decor moves swiftly and appeals to snowbirds returning from a winter away and tourists stopping in to find gifts.
As with Texas General, name-drop and seasonal themes dominate home goods at AMHG. Shorey merchandises those souvenirs by placing them in the front of the store.
If customers want coastal, she points them toward lobsters or puffins, then layers in sea glass or pebble art for texture.
“Anything Maine-based will always sell, or anything that is seasonal,” Shorey says.
In October, Halloween replaces spring and summer shoreline motifs, and by the holidays, there’s all kinds of Christmas at AMHG, mixed along with home goods staples including Sea Stones reclaimed granite pieces like serving trays and Dark Horse tea towels.
Punchy Popclox in vibrant colors resonate with customers who lean into designs such as a dog breed, fish, mermaid, farm animals or even an Airstream. Those hang in a group on the wall.
AMHG Works also offers a range of Mowbi prints, along with an option to frame them. “Then it becomes a complete gift,” says Shorey.
Meanwhile, novelty home products can take off, Shorey says, pointing to a “Sasquatch corner” of the shop that includes prints, towels, plush, porch signs and more. Though in Maine, she admits, Sasquatch is kind of an expected character. “Everyone loves him up here.”
What’s expected in Texas: faith and flags, Barge says. Carrying the theme outdoors is a section of accessories that includes Lone Stars to hang on fences or sheds, along with garden flags and wind chimes.
Decor is organized into stories at AMHG Works.
For the inside, soft goods like pillows and throws displayed together can prompt guests to buy one of each, Barge says. These, too, show off pride of place and include flag themes, bluebonnets and an Alamo-inspired design with a “Come and Take It,” slogan with a cannon.
Since Christmas is big in Grapevine, the store refocuses its decor for the holidays while also maintaining its Texas theme.
Set up to sell
Merchandising is where home goods often move or go stale on a shelf. At AMHG Works, Shorey focuses on building displays that maximize space while giving products room to breathe. Many fixtures are handmade by Tony Shorey, thanks to his woodworking expertise. The couple brainstorms ways to create flexible units that can be easily broken down and reconfigured.
“They are interchangeable,” says Shorey, adding that dimension and depth are presentation priorities.
Tiered tables can be adjusted as inventory sells down. Wooden boxes near the front of the store highlight seasonal rotations, and displays are arranged to tell stories: woodland, coastal, kitchen and so on.
Outside, oversized rolling fixtures display wind spinners and garden flags that fit into slots. “Tony made them light as a feather, so I can roll them in and out of the shop, no problem,” Shorey says.
Texas General Store takes a different approach: clean, clear category blocking. The linear store is set up with aisles of displays with a perimeter of slat wall. Frames stay together. Pillows and blankets stay together. Kitchen goods are grouped by use.
“We are very organized,” Barge says. “We arrange everything in sections so it’s easy on the eyes and reduces confusion.”
This straightforward layout also helps shoppers quickly find what they have in mind. “If you are looking for a pillow, it’s going to be where the pillows are,” she says.
Fresh takes
Both retailers stress that successful home goods buying starts with listening. “If someone asks me for it, I put it on the list,” says Shorey, admitting that she has hesitated at times with a mind to differentiate her shop from others in town.
Customers looking for a Lone Star sign can find them all in one section of Texas General Store.
But when women asked for Sea Bags, she decided to carry the in-demand line so her store could provide this gift while enticing customers with the store’s other offerings.
Shorey also watches point-of-sale data closely, tracking what sells, what stalls and how long items stay in stock.
Barge takes a similar approach, watching vendor launches for new additions to proven categories like garden flags and seasonal products.
At the end of the day, a fresh product mix and smart displays that invite discovery can turn a simple browse into a larger basket. Thoughtful home goods merchandising keeps customers engaged and gives them reasons to shop longer.
“I’m willing to change displays, and we like to give our customers something new to look at every time they stop in” says Shorey, who enlists staff in the process. “I tell them, ‘Never be afraid to put your ideas out there.’ We like to keep things fresh.”
