Ever feel like your store is your town’s best kept secret—but you’d really rather everyone know about you? That’s exactly how Taylor Sumrall of Taylor Made Designs in Opelika, Alabama feels. She and her mom have been running their family-owned gift and jewelry shop for years, getting amazing feedback from customers… but struggling with consistency in foot traffic.
In this Retail Therapy session, we’re joined again by our retail therapist, Bob Phibbs, who doesn’t hold back with honest, practical advice for Taylor. We dig into everything from refreshing her website and store displays, to creating more engaging social content, to using local events (like a 100-year high school football rivalry!) as marketing magic.
Bob even shares how to make AI tools like ChatGPT do the heavy lifting so Taylor—and you—can spend less time stuck on ideas and more time connecting with customers.
If you’ve ever wanted your store to go from “hidden gem” to “must-visit,” this one’s for you.
[5:00] Taylor shares her challenge: “We’re a secret that doesn’t want to be a secret.”
[7:35] Bob’s tough-love critique of Taylor’s website and what to fix first
[8:55] How video and reels can help your store get seen
[20:41] Turning big local events into visibility opportunities
[25:45] Why your story and signage matter more than you think
[26:13] How to spark word of mouth so customers tell their friends about you
[38:45] Leveraging on AI and using it as a tool for your business
Join the Rooted in Retail Facebook Group to continue the conversation
Join our newsletter for all the latest marketing news for retailers
Show off your super fandom by getting your Rooted in Retail Merch!
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.