Step Two Simulation: Finding the Right Location

Map of the area:

The Avant Garde’n gets traffic from locals, people going to Branson, and people even making
special trips to visit from across the country. The store has an advantage because it is located
within an area called “Shops at the Valley” that includes an assortment of different types of
stores. They are able to ​somewhat​ advertise themselves as a group of stores to get people to come
and shop all of them at once. Together as “Shops at the Valley”, there is a Facebook page that
Avant Garde’n has been put in charge of for the entire group. The other stores in the group do
not participate in producing content for the page, so posting new and relevant products can
become difficult. There is little to no issues with competition because each of these stores have
different product categories with different things to offer. They act as an alliance more than as
competitors. More specifically, Avant Garde’n has a close relationship with Little Blue Bird and
they are able to advertise together.
This location is ideal for the target customer because it is located in an area where many people
appreciate buying used items at a cheaper price. It is good that it is not located in the center of
Springfield because this would not appeal to the right audience for the product category. The
store has a large parking lot for customers to park in, but not the best accessibility. One of the
downfalls of the location is that there are several stores in the area and people are out shopping
all day without being anywhere close to stop and eat. As stated before, one of the pro’s to the
location is that there are several stores in the area and this can create more traffic and attract
people who live further away who would not necessarily come to visit just one store. Another
aspect about the location is that some people can turn in the wrong parking lot, so it is not as
accessible as it could be. Also, the area is a little different because it is located right next to a
trailer park. The name Avant Garde’n is also often not correctly perceived by customers. When
driving by or hearing the name many people believe it is a garden store instead of a furniture
store. Lastly, the warehouse location is bringing in the least profit because of its isolated location
and improper priced merchandise.

To fix the accessibility issue we plan on putting a sign near the gas station where some people
accidentally turn in. To provide an option for food when people get hungry we plan to offer
snacks like cookies, cheese and meat trays, coffee, water and wine. Since Big Whiskey’s is
located nearby, and many people do not know this, we want to inform customers of this. We plan
to have employees casually mention it, and have a sign put up near “Shops at the Valley” or on
the door for when people walk in so they can keep it in the back of their heads. We would also
like to shorten the name to “The Avant Garde” so customers will stop confusing the store with a
garden shop. For the warehouse, we would like to offer better staff and sales training, and a more
precise pricing system to help raise sales. Also, thinking about relocating the warehouse to a
closer location could be beneficial to increasing sales, so that more people know about it and
would want to go to it. We have also thought about expanding and having a booth somewhere in
Springfield, so the store can grow clientele and customers who do not have time to make a trip to
Nixa will have a closer location to shop at.
Floor plan: