News from Just Amazing

What Kind of Boutiques should be at Just Amazing?

That's easy - amazing ones! Just's boutiques need to carry the cream of the crop, the latest, the craziest, the award winning, the most delicious -- the really cool stuff that you just don't see everywhere else. Just Amazing needs to be filled with products that you didn't know you needed but you can't leave without.

When I was a teen one of my favorite places to shop was Spencer Gifts. It was filled with crazy fun stuff that made me and my friends laugh. As an adult I can't pass by a Sharper Image without going inside. Unique, cutting edged, different, fun. If you can find it at Walmart or Macys it doesn't need to be at Just Amazing.

The boutiques at Just Amazing need to be the kind that can be enjoyed with a friend. Clothing boutiques are nice but do you really want to try on clothes when you have a friend or spouse in tow? The boutiques need to be designed and arranged in a way that makes it easy to socialize. A place where you'll want to stick together and share discoveries. "Hey, look at this!"

For Just Amazing to be a real attraction it needs to offer a different kind of shopping experience. My grandson loves going to Toys R Us. At his age he could care less about the thousands of toys in packages...he loves the wooden train set he can play with. When I visited the Coconut Point Mall a few weeks ago the Apple Computer store was packed with people playing with Ipads. Saturday sampling at Sam's Club can get pretty crazy. People don't just shop to buy products, they shop to be entertained.

While shopping will be the main attraction demonstrations will be held frequently through out the mall. Many will be food related - Just Baked will demo how to make fondant cake decorations, Just Appetizing will demo 5-minute appetizers, Just Grilled will teach how to make pizza on the grill, Just Cooking Up Fun will offer year round cooking classes for all ages. Non cooking adventures will include things like learning how assemble a metal photo collage at Just Picture It or how to build your own gift basket at Just Wrap it Up. Special music, art and community events can be held in the Atrium as well. We want Just Amazing to be a bee hive of activity.

Just Amazing needs to have many different boutiques for many reasons but mainly so guest will stay a while. When my husband and I shopped the Gulf Coast Town Center Mall in Fort Myers a few weeks ago with the exception of Dick's Sporting Good and Bass Pro Shop we had a hard time finding stores that we wanted to go into. We were done shopping in 45 minutes. If we want to attract day trippers to downtown Punta Gorda then Just Amazing (together with the other downtown businesses) needs to be worth the trip.

The boutiques at Just Amazing need to appeal to all sexes, ages and economic groups. If a specialty boutique has a narrow audience then it needs to be paired with a boutique that will increase its appeal. For example, Just Baked will be a specialty store featuring baking supplies like those used on the popular TV show the Ace of Cakes. If you don't bake you might pass it by...but if we pair with Just Out of the Oven, a bake shop that sells gooey butter cakes, cupcakes, whoopie pies and brownies that you can be enjoyed on the spot or with Just Kids in the Kitchen that sells aprons and cooking tools designed for your grand kids then you might not be able to pass it by. If when you come in, you get to play with the fondant and enjoy a demo or tasting even better.

Every facet of the experience has to be entertaining, even the names of the shops! " Hmm...Just Toast, I wonder what that's all about. Let's go in and see!"

In short, when our guests leave we don't want them to say, "been there done that...eh." We want them to say "WOW, THAT WAS AMAZING!" "I can't wait to come back." And, most importantly we want them to leave carrying packages.

Just the Tip of the Iceberg

So, we gave you a sneak peek at some of Just's boutiques but we have lots of other ideas, too:

Just Kicking Around (shoe store)

Just Jot It Down (stationery)

Just Another Day (calendars, journals, day timers)

Just in Time (clocks)

Just Picture That (digital photo frames, albums, scrap book supplies)Just Doo It (hair accessories)

Just Wandering (travel accessories)
Just Dreaming (pillows and bedding)

Just Toast (tanning products, sun protection clothing, sunglasses)

Just Relax (hammocks, beach chairs, umbrellas, spa stuff)

Just Be Thankful (thank you gifts)

Just Listen (music store)

Just Heavenly (inspirational gifts)

Just about Nuts (nuts and savory gifts)

Just Remember (anniversary and commemorative gifts)

Just A Little Glitz and Glam (fashion accessories)

Just for Fun (toys and games)

Just Feeling Lucky (a lottery outlet)

Just In Case (brief cases and office accessories)

Just Acting Silly (a seasonal pop up costume boutique)

Just Parched (water bottles, water filters, hydration supplies)

Just Passionate about That (tasteful lingerie)

Just Between Friends (friendship gifts)

Just Be Natural (natural products)

Just Imagine (art gallery)

Just Call Me (phone store)

Just Be Glad you Have Hair (salon)

Just the Essentials (things you forgot to pack for your trip)

Just In (news stand, magazines)

Just Sauced (savory sauces and specialty food)

Just in a Jam (sweet jams, pancake & scone mixes, etc)

Just So Hot (hot sauces)

Just Puttering Around (gifts for golfers)

Just in Stitches (knitting, quilting and needle point supplies)

Just Wired (electronics)

Just Pretending (fantasy dress up clothes for kids)

Just Sweet (candy store)

Just What the Doctor Ordered (gluten free, low salt, sugar free)

Just the Ticket (ticket outlet for area events and attractions)

Just Grows on Ya (gardening accessories)

Just Ship it & Just Wrap It Up (guest services)

Just Beachy (Florida gifts)

Additional Thoughts

(in case we haven't given you enough to think about)

Note that these are not "tourist shops" but they are still the kinds of shops that tourists will enjoy shopping in. Our goal is to create a year round shopping adventure that everyone can enjoy.

By theming the shops by name instead of by category we can be more creative with our product mix. Just Flipping Out is a good example of this. If it were just a shoe store and I didn't need shoes, I'd walk right by. But it also carries gifts I'd probably browse a little.

Why do we have separate boutiques for similar goods? We could combine Just Baked, Just Up Your Galley, Just Kids in the Kitchen and Just Cutting Up into one large kitchenware store. We could also combine Just Sauced, Just Nuts, Just Hot, Just in a Jam, Just Wine About it, Just Appetizing and Just Cheesy into one specialty food store. But marketing them as separate entities helps us achieve the critical mass needed for the whole project to succeed. We don't just want a handful of large stores, we want dozens of small unique boutiques.

Featuring a specific product gives us the opportunity to develop its nuances. Just Cheesy is a good example of this. I'm sure you've been in specialty food stores that have a "cheese section." It's usually just a deli style cold case with a man stating behind it. The cheese shop I envision for Just Amazing has a big butcher block cutting table in the middle of the room surrounded by a circle of open cheese cases. The walls of the shop are loaded with cheese knives, cutting boards, raclettes, fondue pots, cook books, cheese ball mixes, brie bakers and more. The cheese monger moves around the shop educating shoppers and tempting them with samples. Remember, we want to create an experience, not just a store.

"Whatever you do don't miss the cheese shop - it's amazing!"

It's Easy to Market Fun

I can't wait to begin marketing Just Amazing! Just think of all we can do with social media, email, special events, etc. In fact, I got so carried away by the idea that I just had to draft a sample newsletter!

Click here to continue...

All this talk about food is making me hungry!

When people shop they get hungry! Most malls have a food court shouldn't we?

Here are a few ideas for eateries at Just Amazing:

Food Court

Just Fried (fried pickles, curly fries, fried candy bars, etc)

Just Souper (soups served in bread bowls)

Just on a Roll (sandwiches)

Just Crepey (sweet and savory crepes)

Just Scooped (ice cream or gelato shop)

Just the Tip of the Ice Berg (Smoothies, Shakes and Italian Ices)

Just a Pie in the Sky (pizza and flat breads)

Wow...the kind of fare you usually find in a food court!

I like that! It's amazing!

Full Service Restauants:

Just Thai on One (Thai/American fusion)

Just Fell off the Turnip Truck (organic meals under 500 calories)

Just Wine and Dine'r (romantic dining)

Just off the Boat (seafood)

Just Meat & Potatoes

(steak house)

Just Desserts (where you go to cap off a wonderful evening)

Why "Just "

Everything?

Having the name of every boutique begin with the word "just" is part of the shopping adventure but does it serve any other purpose?

The developers could set aside an area for small boutiques and fill it with independently owned small businesses and it might end up looking something like Just Amazing but it would not have the same PUNCH. Downtown Punta Gorda needs the Wow Factor.

Having dozens of boutiques under the Just Umbrella gives us greater marketing opportunities. It's expensive for a small boutique to market itself and it's even harder to get a group of independent businesses to work together.

(Keep in mind that Just Amazing does not need to be the only small boutiques located downtown. Hopefully there will be others sprinkled around the downtown area.)

We want shoppers to view the Just Amazing as dozens of little boutiques but at the same time we want them to appreciate Just Amazing in its entirety.

Likewise, we want other businesses especially those who might consider opening in Punta Gorda to view Just Amazing in its entirety - as an atrractive anchor tenant for downtown Punta Gorda.

Having Just Amazing be appreciated in its entirety will also be important in estatblishing it's prominence in the community.

What Do Tourists Buy?

If we want to attract tourists to Punta Gorda, then we should have some idea of what tourists like to buy. Surprisingly, it's not the "ticky, tacky touristy stuff" we all think of.

The University of Wisconsin did a study to determine what small Wisconsin towns could do to attract more visitors. The study identified the types of shops that tourists frequented. While tourists to Florida may have somewhat different tastes the list in still helpful:

Antiques

Art Galleries

Baskets

Books

Candles

Cards

Cheese

Chocolates/Candy

Christmas

Coffee Shops

Crafts

Dolls

Factory Outlets

Glass

Flowers

Golf/Sport/Outfitters

Gourmet Foods

Heritage & Ethnic Gifts

Home Accessories

Jewelry

Leather

Lifestyle Apparel

Liquor and Wine

Novelty Gifts

Perfume/Soups

Pet Supplies

Photography

Pottery

Quilts

Rugs

Skin and Healthy

T-shirts and Clothing

Teddy Bears

Themed and Historic Restaurants

Toys

Wreaths