Focus On: Merchandising: Show 'Em Your Wares

Aim for synergy
The Colonial Wil-liamsburg Foundation has 29 retail shops, four seasonal catalogs annually and an Internet site that sell a total of 25,000 SKUs.

“The challenge from a marketing, product and mission perspective is to tie all our channels of selling and communication together,” says Tammy Kersey, director of retail and direct marketing. “Unlike many nonprofits, Colonial Williamsburg is a historic place — the restored town was the Colonial capital of Virginia during the American Revolution. Our call center representatives, besides selling product, field questions ranging from the weather to upcoming events at the foundation. The stores in total have a far wider assortment than any one catalog.