WINDOW DECORATIONS.

One thing I wish to impress upon the mind of every reader of this book; that is, too much attention cannot be given to your display window. I consider this one-half the store. A neat and tasty display will attract people to your window, and nine times out of ten they will see something to tempt their appetites.

Keep your window clean and well lighted; change the display in them every other day; keep neat, tasty signs on your goods; introduce new and novel features.

I will give you a few ideas on window decorations:

DISPLAY NO. 1.

Cover the bottom of your window with clean paper; then empty a barrel of granulated sugar in the window; make a pile in center, and four small piles, one on each corner; place on the center pile three cakes of sweet or bitter chocolate. Now place on a white china plate a pile of chocolate creams, one for each corner pile, and now run a row of chocolate creams from each corner pile to the center pile. Then place a sign on this display as follows:

Our Candies Are Pure.

Nothing but the Purest of the

Pure enters into the

manufacture of our

Queen Chocolates.

DISPLAY NO. 2.

Dump a whole bag of raw Spanish shelled peanuts into the window. In the center place a large bowl of salted peanuts, place a nice silver scoop in the peanuts, and the following sign in front of the bowl:

Our Salted Peanuts

Are made fresh every day.

They’re Delicious.

DISPLAY NO. 3.

Place a number of empty five-pound candy boxes tastily in your window. Take fancy colored cheese cloth, covering window boxes and all; puff it up, place a dish of bon bons daintily piled on each box, make a pile of your one-pound candy boxes at the back, bring to a pile in the center, and place a palm or other plant at each rear corner of the window.

The following sign will add to the display:

Smith’s Candies.

’Nuff Sed.

DISPLAY NO. 4.

Cover and drape your entire window in violet colored cheese cloth; pin bunches of cheap cloth or paper violets in various places in the window; fill small fancy baskets with violet ribbon tied on handles, with crystalized violets, violet colored bon bons, violet tipped chocolates, or any candies of violet color.

Sign as follows:

Beautiful Colors

Beautiful Candies.

DISPLAY NO. 5.

Cover and drape your entire window in American Beauty colored cheese cloth. Pin large paper or cloth roses about the window, fill baskets with pink bon bons, tie red ribbon in basket handles, run strings of red roses from center of top of window to each corner; make a large tray of pink candy chips, and set in rear center of window; place palm or plant of some kind at rear corners of window.

Following sign with large bow of red ribbon in the corner:

Fair as a Rose was She,

Made happy with a box of

Smith’s Candy.

DISPLAY NO. 6.

Fill bottom of window with crushed white stone; make a pile of larger stones in one corner, leaving a space in the center of the pile; line the inside with red colored tinfoil; place a light inside—an electric light with red globe is preferred. Now sprinkle coarse salt over the rock, like snow. Make a log cabin out of stick, which can be easily done, and place in one corner; build a small bench to set in front of cabin, get two or three small toy figures of men, place them about in different places. Make a large pile of Klondike Nuggets (see page [99]); have a sign painter paint a curtain to go across the back of the window, representing a field of ice and snow. Place the following sign in the window:

Klondike Nuggets,

25 Cents per Box.

The Latest in Candy.

Pack in half-pound boxes.

DISPLAY NO. 7.

Cover bottom of window with pink crepe paper; fill as many half-pound boxes as you can get into the window, arranging them tastily with fig glaces (see page [98]). Fill a large platter with fine layer figs and place on each side.

Use the following sign:

Fig Glaces.

A Delicious Fruit Goodie—

—25c box.—

DISPLAY NO. 8.

Cover bottom of your window with white or cream colored paper, also a board back about six feet high. Now cut some bright red crepe paper in strips about one inch wide; run these strips across bottom, fasten one end, then twist. After you have them twisted enough to look well, fasten the other end. Now run strips from front top of window down to board back, twisting them before you fasten both ends. Now make a fancy design with your red strips on front of board back. Fill entire window with mint drops—white color with red stripes—and display the following sign:

Old-Fashioned

Peppermint Kisses.

DISPLAY No. 9.

Have a large pan made—large enough to hold a fifty-pound chunk of ice. Have hole made in one corner and provide a way to run the waste water into some receptacle. Place chunk of ice in pan; dig a hole in center of chunk, fill four glasses with green colored water and set on each corner of chunk of ice, fill hole in center with fresh mint sprigs, run a row of fresh mint around edge of pan.

Place the following sign on the mint:

Try Our Mint Phosphate

It’s Delicious.

Make a display of bottled goods around this display. (For making mint phosphate see [soda formulas].)

DISPLAY No. 10.

Cover bottom with cloth, paper, or some other material; fill entire window with butter-scotch (see page [78]) and pile up well.

Butter-Scotch—

Like Mother Used to Make.

Individual display is always a good way to dispose of any particular article you wish to push. An entire window trimmed in caramels, chocolates, hoarhound drops or marshmallows will make them sell.

During the summer, if your windows are not closed, think it is a good idea not to trim them, as the goods get dirty, and covered with flies, giving one the impression that your goods are all like the ones displayed in your windows. Better to keep a few nice plants in your window.