Max’s

Ellen Hertz, owner
St. Louis Park, Minn.

How do this year’s sales compare to recent years’? Are you seeing a consistent decline or a slow improvement?

Our sales continue to grow each year. In 2008, we experienced double-digit growth over 2007, and we are on track and anticipating similar growth in 2009.

Are you projecting more positive numbers for 2010? What are you doing now to keep customers shopping?

We do project continued growth for Max’s during 2010 and beyond. We have established a strong reputation in the Twin Cities for carrying unique, high-quality items. We have developed a loyal customer following, and we continue to attract new customers as the result of a strong advertising campaign and word-of-mouth advertising (the best kind!).

We also have a customer reward system in place to help build loyalty and repeat business. Customers earn points on each purchase that can then be used as dollars-off on a future purchase.

Have you tried any new promotions in the last two quarters?

We will have hosted 10 artist trunk shows by the end of 2009 that have been very well attended by our current customers and new customers who attended based on our advertising.

How has the economy affected your marketing budget? Are you adding, subtracting or keeping an even keel?

Our marketing spending has actually increased some during the past year. As others have cut back or completely eliminated their marketing efforts, we believe strongly that it is even more critical to promote the business in challenging times than it is in “good” times.

We added a few more advertising channels to our mix, with an emphasis on online ads with local daily newsletters and blogs. We continue to be pleased with the number of new faces that come in.

What changes did you make to your inventory mix during the economic downturn? What types of items are selling best right now?

We have been more price conscious as we do our buying. In the past, where we may have had more $150 pairs of earrings than those that cost $75, we now have more at a broader price range.

Having said that, we have been very pleasantly surprised at the number of women who have shopped for a more expensive item for themselves during the economic downturn. In the past, they may have been the type of customer to buy a pair of earrings here and there whenever they saw something they liked, and we heard a lot of people saying things such as, “I want to buy myself a pair of really nice gold earrings that I can wear every day.”