When you think about having retail in your shop — I’m guessing your first thoughts go to Lululemon, Athleta, or other workout wear. But if you’re reselling someone else’s gear — there is a sizeable investment for you.
Another option is creating your own gear — but that’s also a gamble that might belong in Las Vegas. You’re gambling that you can select the item in the color and size that people will buy without leaving you holding a lot of inventory. And of course — there’s also designing the shirts, getting them printed and shipped, and doing those things at a cost that will allow you to double the price and get them sold in your studio. How many times have you watched someone pick up a price tag of an item, and then shake their head at the price, because they don’t realize all you have to do to get the item made!
When we did our holiday brainstorming last year, Carey (Owner of Rivercity Pilates) and I made it a goal to offer some things that could be “last minute” gifts. You know, as you go thru December there’s that one gift exchange, or you remember you need to get something for your child’s teacher, or you just need something extra for a member of your family to even things out. What we found, was that by putting some time and effort into creating last minute gifts — people started thinking of Rivercity Pilates as an option when they needed a holiday gift.
What you need:
- A Pilates Prop — let’s say a massage ball and some alignment socks
- Some way to make the props look great in the box. We used crinkle paper. Of note here — we did not know what it was called in order to google it — but we found it from the business we bought gift boxes from.
- A gift box that matches your holiday theme.
- If you have lotions or aroma therapy – you may want to add a small item to the box.
- A “name” for the gift box that people can relate to. ie — Foot Love
- Directions on how to use the props to make your feet feel better.
- A sign to put by the gift boxes with the price. We used a word document with 1 page for each gift box.
We placed the gift boxes on a table that everyone walked by on their way into/out of classes. We did not make up a ton of them ahead of time — I think we made 4 (which we sold the first day we had them out) and after that we just made more as we had time after we sold them. We featured the on social media — and Carey did brief videos on the studio’s Instagram stories.
I hope this blog shows you how easy it is to create some Pilates inspired gifts and I hope it inspires you to learn from the retail world – and use the holiday to your advantage!