Sponsored by SumUp
Don't let payment types stop your sales
In 2026, accept more payment types to optimize customer experience. SumUp POS provides this with a simple, seamless checkout process.
Get started →
ICYMI
The stores that hold up over time make a few structural decisions early and actually hold to them. This past month, our writer Marcy Medina spoke with Kathy Louderback, an award-winning independent retailer, about the one thing she'd go back and fix—and why your digital presence can't wait until the physical store is running smoothly. She also spoke with Carol Schroeder, founder of Orange Tree Imports, about the staffing model that kept employees at her store for decades.
- Bianca Prieto, editor
The free audit every independent retailer should do this week (and the one that can't wait until next year)
Expert: Kathy Louderback, Owner, The Artist's Kitchen Shop (Excellence in Retailing Award, 2024-2025)
Louderback has one regret: she didn't build her digital presence before COVID, and by the time the gap was obvious, it was too late to close quickly. Her advice for this week: walk out your front door and walk back in as a customer. Does your entry display say "buy me" without saying a word? Her advice for the next two months: start building your digital presence now, even if the physical store is where you're strongest. The stores that wait until the physical is perfect before starting the digital are already behind.
Two scheduling decisions that turned a retail job into a career people didn't leave.
Expert: Carol "Orange" Schroeder, Founder, Orange Tree Imports
Schroeder's housewares store in Madison has been open for 50 years. Some staff have been there for 30 to 40. Two decisions made the difference: a schedule posted months in advance so employees can actually plan their lives, and a peer-managed sub-system so no one has to choose between their job and a doctor's appointment. Every employee also owns a piece of their department, from buying to display. Small commitments. Held consistently. They compound.
Sponsored by SumUp
Get customers through checkout faster
There's nothing worse than an abandoned shopping cart, but with SumUp POS, you'll be able to ensure that your customers aren't hung up on a complicated checkout process. You'll be able to:
Track inventory in real-time with stock updates
Quick barcode scanning for faster checkouts
Accept effortless returns and exchanges
Track growth with detailed sales reports
Give your customers the professional shopping experience they deserve with SumUp.
Don’t miss this
If you can't beat the chains on price, beat them on curation. Rachel Krupa built The Goods Mart around emerging brands and discovery, which means she always has something customers can't find anywhere else, and always has something new when a product goes out of stock. → Your store can be the place customers find what's next
After 25 years of brand partnerships, Stacy Igel's consistent finding: the stores’ brands want to work with don't just carry product. They act as an extension of the brand's marketing. Synergy beats order size every time. → What brands want from their retail partners
You’re all caught up!
We hope you enjoyed this month's roundup. And hey, if you've been reading The SKUpe for a while and think your story is worth telling, we'd love to hear from you. Marcy is always looking for independent retailers who are doing things a little differently.
A few topics on our radar right now: what it took to build a buying strategy that actually works, navigating a second location, and how you've developed staff who really know the product. Sound like you? Hit reply and introduce yourself.
