Smart strategies for selling home accessories
Home accessories generated an estimated $85 billion in retail sales in 2024, according to Home Accents Today‘s 2024 Universe Report, and home accent and gift stores accounted for a sizeable chunk ($14 billion) of that business.
What does the business look like beyond those numbers? In our exclusive Accessory Report, Home Accents Today spoke to nearly a dozen independent retailers, many of them Retail Stars, about the ins and outs of buying and selling home accessories, from how they merchandise different product categories (including the unique challenges of decorative pillows) to how they handle slow-to-sell goods. Here’s a glimpse at how the accessories business is evolving and how retailers are adapting to those changes.
custom rugs as a part of its assortment.
Rugs to suit every customer
Name: Amy Beierholm, abc carpet & home
Location: New York City
How they keep rugs relevant: “We are known for our one-of-a-kind rug collection, which features a range of sizes and styles, all sustainably sourced from around the world. We have also expanded our product offerings by adding more oversized and custom rugs, including the introduction of a Quick Ship Custom Rug Program with designers that can help guide customers to the rug that suits their needs.” – Anne Flynn Wear
A global approach to wall décor
Name: Keith Graber Miller, Found
Location: Goshen, Ind.
Where they scout wall décor: “We have a large international audience who often come in to purchase wall art or smaller globally themed accent pieces. We normally take three international trips a year to Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia. But, due to the current conditions, we aren’t taking any trips this year and are concerned that we will be short on items that we bought internationally.” — Anne Flynn Wear
Tantalizing tabletop
Name: Christina Van Blake, House & Home
Location: Dover, N.H.
Rethinking what a product can be: “We had bud vases that were not selling. We filled them with brightly colored matches and put strike-strips on the bottom of the bud vase. Now, we can’t keep them in stock. I will often put several items on a tray such as the bud vase along with greens and another decorative object and people will buy everything on the tray since its color coordinated.” — Anne Flynn Wear
Having fun with funky decor
Name: Beth Rich, Mix it Up Home
Location: Coeur d’Alene, Id.
How she presents fun accent pieces: “One thing we sell wildly is the Eric and Eloise collection from Accent Décor. That’s the wall art that has that deer with the glasses and pipe. We have an entire collection of it — we have a ‘go big or go home’ mentality. We find something that we love and you’re not going to be able to not see it in the store. So, we have a Park Hill fireplace and over the top of it is every single character [Accent Décor] sells. People come in the store and we’re like, ‘You didn’t know you needed a bear with glasses in your house until you came here.’ It’s one of the top revenue-producing items that we sell.” — Allison Zisko
Solving the decorative pillow dilemma
Name: Nancy Mikulich, Oasis Home
Location: Asbury Park, N.J.
Her decorative pillow strategy: “I’ve been moving them because I had a surplus on them, some custom, some off-the-rack. I marked them down by a good 30% to 40%. Where I’m located, our chief competitor is HomeGoods. They do carry beautiful pillows for reasonable prices. So, I’ve leveled up on my pillow offering to be more high-end. It’s the “less is more” approach: fewer, more luxurious options. I display them casually in beautiful baskets so they seem less precious. Most of them wind up on the floor at home, anyway.” — Allison Zisko
