5 Ways to Spruce Up Your Business on a Budget

5 Ways to Spruce Up Your Business on a Budget

Is your store in need of a remodel? By sprucing up your business you can improve the customer experience, and increase sales. Yes, that’s right, a business remodel can increase sales by 5 to 10%, according to office remodeling company, DJL Consultants.

Even if you have a limited budget, you can make subtle changes that impact the overall look and feel of a business. Here are five ideas that every business owner can use to revive a business without breaking the bank.

1. Buy secondhand furniture

Just because you’re refurbishing doesn’t mean you have to buy everything new. In fact, you can save big bucks by shopping secondhand.

Tour around your local thrift shop for furniture and artwork. You’d be surprised what you can find, especially if your business has an eclectic taste. You could use mismatched table and chairs as a small waiting area for clients, or buy a bunch of mirrors to create a funky piece of art for a conference room.

If you need traditional office furniture, consider checking out retailers that specialize in secondhand desks, chairs and fixtures. Just Google ‘secondhand office furniture’ to get a list of retailers in your area, or check out national retailers like Arnold’s.

f37c2e130c6b342ca4fd717045b862712. Add more light

Go through your shop and change all of the light bulbs, even if they aren’t blown. Why? Over time, lights starts to give off more of a yellowish-brown hue, which is unattractive lighting for any condition.

You can also add more lighting. Consider some decorative lights over your checkout counter, a variety of different bulbs to hang from the ceiling, or add a few spotlights to shelves that showcase premier products. For additions like this, you’ll likely need an electrician. If that’s not in your budget, consider adding a few tasteful stick lamps to the waiting area near your dressing rooms or decorative lamps like these from Ikea to your checkout counter.

3. Create a statement wall

Does your store have an eye-catching entrance or checkout? If not, consider adding “statement wall” during your remodel. Pick a vibrant color, preferably a color that matches your brand’s color scheme, and paint one wall that color.

Now, add your business name and logo to the wall. Consider adding some spotlights or dark paint for a dramatic effect. If done right, you can turn a boring entrance into something like this:

There are plenty of DIY tips on Pinterest that can help you create the lettering for your statement wall, but if you want professional help with it you can call an interior designer that specializes in retail designs.

4. Clear clutter

One of the most affordable remodel efforts that a business can tackle is removing clutter. Removing clutter isn’t just for your customers, a study from Princeton University shows clutter competes for your attention and results in decreased performance and increased stress.

Take a look at your sales floor. Is there clutter on your shelves or racks? If so, is there a way to condense products? Keep duplicate items in the back, or if you have the space, consider adding another shelf to spread merchandise out.

If you have a waiting area, seating area or conference room, make sure tables are clear. If you want to offer magazines to read while waiting, keep the options to a minimum and store them in a wicker basket so they’re not scattered all over the room.

Get some organizers to get your checkout area under control too. Customers can see clutter lurking behind the register, so use things like decorative baskets for paperwork or mason jars for pens and pencils to keep supplies in their place.

5. Add local art

Need a few pieces of art for your walls but don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on giant, corporate-looking art? Find local artists in your area, check out their work, and see if one or two are interested in displaying their art in your store. In return, add a business-card sized sign near the painting or sculpture that provides the artist’s name and contact information.

You could also team up with a local photographer to capture a few shots of the community that you can frame and hang in the store.

Have you remodeled your store recently? What affordable changes did you make that are paying off? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Lisa Furgison
About the Author
Lisa Furgison

Lisa is a writer at Fivestars, a freelance journalist, and co-owner of a media company, McEwen's Media.

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