A passerby takes Ruth & Ollie’s invitation to heart. (Photos by David Larter)
The owners of a Carytown furniture store are hoping a risqué window display will get shoppers excited about their new location.
Kat and Mike Liebschwager, owners of Ruth & Ollie, last fall signed a lease on the old Leo Burke location at 3108 W. Cary St. and plan to open June 1.
But to generate a little buzz, they papered their windows with a display that at first glance looks like Carytown’s newest tenant is the area’s first strip club.
“We wanted to do something that’s a little bit provocative,” Mike Liebschwager said.
Ruth & Ollie opened in 2006 and are currently in a 3,800-square-foot space at 3445 W. Cary St. The new location will be 9,000 square feet.
If passersby are brave enough to look in the peepholes the Liebschwagers left in the display, they’ll see that the owners took this marketing ploy all the way.
“Meet Trixie,” this chair beckons. “Her curves will make you forget your other chairs.”
Behind each hole in the paper is a piece of furniture with an invitation, such as a white bureau with a sign that says, “Meet Lola. You really want to look in her drawers, don’t you!”
Reviews of the display have been “99 percent positive,” Liebschwager said.
“I think the funniest thing I’ve heard is one guy came into the store and said, ‘the good news is your window is incredible. The bad news is, if anyone took a picture of me looking in, I can probably never run for office.’”
A passerby takes Ruth & Ollie’s invitation to heart. (Photos by David Larter)
The owners of a Carytown furniture store are hoping a risqué window display will get shoppers excited about their new location.
Kat and Mike Liebschwager, owners of Ruth & Ollie, last fall signed a lease on the old Leo Burke location at 3108 W. Cary St. and plan to open June 1.
But to generate a little buzz, they papered their windows with a display that at first glance looks like Carytown’s newest tenant is the area’s first strip club.
“We wanted to do something that’s a little bit provocative,” Mike Liebschwager said.
Ruth & Ollie opened in 2006 and are currently in a 3,800-square-foot space at 3445 W. Cary St. The new location will be 9,000 square feet.
If passersby are brave enough to look in the peepholes the Liebschwagers left in the display, they’ll see that the owners took this marketing ploy all the way.
“Meet Trixie,” this chair beckons. “Her curves will make you forget your other chairs.”
Behind each hole in the paper is a piece of furniture with an invitation, such as a white bureau with a sign that says, “Meet Lola. You really want to look in her drawers, don’t you!”
Reviews of the display have been “99 percent positive,” Liebschwager said.
“I think the funniest thing I’ve heard is one guy came into the store and said, ‘the good news is your window is incredible. The bad news is, if anyone took a picture of me looking in, I can probably never run for office.’”
Brilliant!
Saw it…I was across the street and didn’t walk over to “peep”. Glad to know what was behind the hole! Loved this idea, so clever.