The Racks Outside the Door

Someone is walking past a shop in town. A few racks of clothes stand outside the door, close enough that they belong to the store, close enough to the sidewalk that they interrupt someone walking.

The racks do not say the shop’s name again. The name is already on the window. They put part of the store where the walk already is: a sleeve you can touch, a price you can read. That is part of what makes a person walking slow down. The racks have started the visit.

That is Attract. The expectation begins before they enter. Before a greeting, before a fitting room, they have already decided whether this store seems current, cared for, and deserving of a stop.

A shop that leaves the sidewalk empty, or leaves last season’s markdowns, is still sending a first message. The message is that nothing particular is happening.

Attract is not decoration. It is the difference between passing the door and going through the door.

A Moment to Consider

If a person went past your business this afternoon, what outside the business would give them a reason to stop?