Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Give people a reason to come to the store. Tap your furniture reps asking them to spend some time in the store during the opening to explain (sell) their product's benefits. Tap them for door prizes. Have an ASID night (remember they'll want a trade discount). Have a realtor night -- practically everyone buying a home needs some kind of furniture- -they're a source of leads.

Get the book 1001 Ways to Build Retail Excitement-- it's probably at your library.

You should (or a pro) should focus on the bigger picture. You don't want to have just "one" day/week of Grand Opening. You need to build a year plus worth of excitement to keep you on the top of their mind. It's a lot of upfront work to make the plan -- and you will have to decide. Does this dilute the focus your inhouse team from sales? At this stage, maybe not??

If you've got high-end furniture, then you need to appeal to people with large budgets. Who/where are these people in your area? Can you host a private event for interior decorators, architects, hoteliers, etc.? If you're reaching out to a new community, you may find hiring the services of an expert (at least to create a strategy) may be well-spend money, especially if they have inroads to your target demographic.