Christmas comes but once a year� but at London�s big department stores, it lasts a whole lot longer.
Last but not least, Clarkson says get organised early to reduce stress levels at the busiest time of the retail year.Lets look at some detailsThe tradition of the Myer Christmas windows began in 1956. It was the year of the Melbourne Olympics and also the year television was introduced.�The company we�ve employed specialises in puppetry globally. We were very fortunate to find the level of expertise and passion to turn our vision into a reality.��The company we employ has a full team. They have the engineers, animators, puppeteers, scenic artists, costumers, sculptors, carpenters, electricians and so on.Cabinets: I have some awesome options when it comes to cabinets and countertops.The Elizabeth St display will be unveiled at the end of this month, ahead of the store�s official Christmas launch on November 1.Bathroom lighting was a little trickier. At the big box stores I found only expensive options…lights over 50-70 dollars each which will add up when you are working with multiple bathrooms.This took hours of research driving to and from one store after another as well as frequenting specialty lighting stores and researching online sources…this is the best I’ve found but if you have other options would love to hear from you.There are many ways to go about furnishing your miniature dollhouse, from creating your own wallpaper and flooring to buying miniature crystal chandeliers. Once you become familiar with the possibilities, create a "wish list" of items that you'd like. Over time, you can either buy them yourself or ask to receive them as gifts.Evelyn and Barry Cook opened The House of Christmas 20 years ago in Abbotsford in north east Melbourne, on the city edge just behind Collingwood Football Club.Miniature Dollhouse KitsIn any case shop it and do your homework…this is one of the areas that you have huge savings potential.By Lyn White, senior journalist for Inside RetailingMake a checklist�Our animated windows feature in the Bourke St Mall store and they are an absolute institution.For top-up supplies, Oswald Sealy remains open right up until Christmas Eve. It closes on Christmas Day, reopening on Boxing Day for the annual 50% off sale.�We have a creative panel. We might chat to Universal (Pictures) or we might talk to different publishers to see what�s relevant. Then about three of us get together with four or five ideas. We make a selection and a judgment based on the target customer, which is a child aged five or six through to the child�s mother and grandparents.Harrods and Selfridges both launched their Christmas promotions in the first week of August. Harrods came first with the opening of its Christmas World floor two months earlier than usual. Selfridges followed two days later.Hands Off?Foley and his associates are a small, highly manouverable group with headquarters at Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.Although you can buy a miniature dollhouse readymade, it's much more of an adventure to build your own with a miniature dollhouse kits. Miniature dollhouse kits come in a variety of styles, from Victorian dollhouses and Adirondack cabins to country churches and general stores. Often, they come with add-on porches, dormers, and stairways in a variety of styles. When considering the kits on the market, look for wooden dollhouses that are made with cabinet grade plywood for exterior walls. Superior construction will ensure that your miniature dollhouse will be one that you can pass down for generations to come.The flamboyant Asmussen lived in South Yarra in a house that had 13 chandeliers and a black and silver dining room. He had an all-white garden. He loved his job and he gave style to Myer. Asmussen not only created the Christmas windows, but was also Moomba�s famous float designer.Another great resource for lights is Contractors Warehouse. I found a fantastic large entry light that would run hundreds of dollars in a big box store for only $39.00. I love a great deal.Aussie ChristmasThese are just some of the many different things I have found in my hours of hunting for the best quality for the best price on my fix and flip projects.�Cup Day is such a huge event for Melbourne that the city does tend to focus on it. After the Cup, there can be a bit of a mad panic when people say �Oh my God � Christmas is the next big thing�,� says Oswald Sealy�s Deirdre Plant, who enjoys advising people on ways to make their business sparkle and stand out from the crowd.She says the planning process took a minimum of six to nine months.A local tile company in town offers very cool 99 c tile and is good quality to boot…it’s always in stock and always available. They deliver for free because they know me and they are good about returns also. Broken tile is a significant factor when purchasing tile and they have replaced every time. Stock items are great because you can always add on later with the same type and return overages when necessary.There are many in the miniature dollhouse collectors' community who insist that miniature dollhouses are for adults only. Yet there are others who fondly recall the privilege and pleasure of playing with their mother's or grandmother's miniature dollhouse. While miniature dollhouses should be definitely off-limits for very small children - dollhouse miniatures can be a health hazard if swallowed - part of the enchantment of collecting is sharing the enjoyment with others. If you need to protect your miniature dollhouse from little hands, either buy a miniature dollhouse kit that closes completely or install a Plexiglas sheet to seal the back of the dollhouse.If a shopping centre wants flying kangaroos lighting up the night sky, Fogg Production�s Roger Foley is their man. Darling Harbour shopping precinct in Sydney once used Foley�s boomers (kangaroos), based on the Rolf Harris hit Six White Boomers, to spectacular effect.These superstores are located in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. They stock thousands of products � too many for the company to list online � so a store visit is recommended.It�s a seasonal business, well known locally, open from October 1 (for small retailers) through to Christmas. For the larger retailers (including clients like Rebel Sport, ANZ and Medicare Victoria) The House of Christmas has been in full swing for four months already.Other tips include tailoring decorations to incorporate company colours for a complete and effective corporate Christmas branding, and investing in commercial quality products to create a stylish and professional sales tool that will last for many years.Why Miniature Dollhouses?Likewise, the windows of David Jones� flagship store in Sydney are a huge drawcard for people of all ages and from all parts of NSW.The grocery store business offers a great example. Some stores are willing to advertise a loss leader (super low prices only on selected items) just to get you in their doors. They figure once you are there you will buy all of the other items you need that they get a good return on. Can’t fault them for their capitalism…this is America. But if you have the time and want to get the most bang for your buck find the special deals at each store and only buy those items from that particular store…I would not take the time and effort in groceries because that research is not the highest and best use of my time but you bet your bottom dollar I will take the time to do it for my materials required for a project.Lisa Lubar, GM, visual merchandising, says this year�s visual treat followed a traditional Christmas theme.�There�s a lot of excitement surrounding the Bourke St display. It�s the element of surprise. People don�t know what to expect or how the display is created, and that�s the way we like to keep it so as not to spoil the mystique,� Burkin says.�The display depends entirely on the retail environment. You can have a vague guideline for an individual decorating a tree, but most retailers want the colour theme to fit with everything else in their store. And they often don�t want trees at all. We sell a lot of over-sized stars. They go for them because stars don�t take up valuable floorspace.�From the end of August through to the end of September and early October we get all our new products. But we always have our standard lines in stock, like the basic trees and tinsel.Not all Myer store windows can incorporate the spectacular animation. For example, in 2003, 10km of cabling was used in the construction of the How the Grinch Stole Christmas window setting.Deb Burkin is Myer�s current creative concept brand manager, windows and events.Be smart with your material purchases…do the homework and take your list. Make notes to yourself so you don’t have to redo the whole process on the next deal.Throughout the years, the Myer windows have delighted generations of children and adults, with families from all over Victoria making the annual pilgrimage to see them. The themes have included much loved fairy tales, famous children�s books and concepts from the ballet and opera.Before looking at miniature dollhouse kits, think about where you will ultimately display the dollhouse. Make sure that the dollhouse you choose will fit in the space you have and that, if you will be moving in the near future, it is of a scale that is moveable. Dollhouse miniatures come in a variety of scales, so decide ahead of time what scale you'd like.�This is a gift to the people of Sydney. The younger children are the most delighted, but watching the morning foot traffic and the customer reaction is a joy for us.�Sally Clarkson of Chas Clarkson in Sydney says there are some basic rules guaranteed to take the stress out of Christmas.Furnishing Your Miniature DollhouseThe Christmas Cave operates the largest chain of stores in Australia devoted entirely to products for the festive season. Christmas Cave trades from August to early January, seven days a week, but the business is open by appointment at other times.In fact, I have yet to use it but in this vein, there are companies that will offer investors discounts on materials and other big ticket items because of the continued sales potential. One is Direct Buy. Heavy initial member fee but I hear great discounts.They certainly wouldn�t be the only ones, but some smaller retailer operators in the southern capital have been known to cut things fine. However, there�s a good reason and it revolves around a horse race.He and his team are responsible each year for the Christmas Tree of Light, reputedly the world�s brightest Christmas tree, at Cockle Bay in Sydney. �We check every couple of years to make sure it remains the world�s brightest tree,� he says.Oswald Sealy is located in Fitzroy and supplies every state of Australia. The business also exports to Asia and New Zealand. A second, more luxurious wholesale showroom will open in Surrey Hills, Sydney, prior to Christmas, and a revamped website for online orders has just been relaunched.There is one thing Myer�s new owners won�t be changing this year, and that�s the lavish animated Christmas window displays � classic, timeless images that define Melbourne in December.�Many artists are complete snobs when it comes to retail. They think they will have to compromise their work and do something lesser than they otherwise would.�Myer�s first chief visual merchandiser, the late Fred Asmussen, was inspired by the displays he had seen in the windows of New York department stores and set about creating something magical for the people of his own city on an equally grand scale.Too much to go into here but will reveal in a future release in order to give the topic the attention it deserves.�We�ve gone with a different technique or concept this year, which was mostly inspired by an overseas trip last year. We did New York, London and Paris, but there was something very special about all the animated windows in Paris. When we realized what it was, we wanted to try a different approach, so we�re using a more traditional style of marionette puppetry.The specialty outlets catering only to Christmas are seasonal by nature. They operate for about six months of the year and work flat out right up until Christmas Eve.Department stores work their window magicIn Australia, businesses are generally well prepared for the festive season by late August, early September. Props and decorations are rarely left to last-minute chance, and if they are, or some catastrophe befalls the hapless retailer, help is close at hand.However, you will on occasion come across these same swanky type 3 bar lights in again brushed nickel at Costco for only 15.ea. What a bargain. Only downside is they are not offered year-round so when you come across grab more than you need if you know you will be doing future projects.
�This is a gift to the people of Sydney. The younger children are the most delighted, but watching the morning foot traffic and the customer reaction is a joy for us.�
Author: Lyn White
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