The Art of Retail Displays

Besides your employees themselves, store displays are the main selling tool in your retail clothing business. The contents of 15 ft circle at the front of you store is what most shoppers will base the decision to continue shopping or move on to the next store. Elegant, fun, beautiful, and creative store displays are the best ways to engage customers with your stores products.


It is a fact that cleverly displayed products whether shoppers need them or not sell much quicker than something they need simply placed on a table or hung on a clothes hanger. This is where the art of the store display comes in.


Keep it clean. Start out by cleaning up and breaking down a previous display. Clean everything. All parts of your new display should be clean and dust free. Clothing items should be free from wrinkles as well. Gather a few central items you want to show case and any background items and tools necessary to complete setup.


You can then begin building your displays around these items. Backgrounds should stick to one or two colors. Cluster just a few items or accessories together. You want to avoid trying to display too many things. This will weaken the display overall by diluting focus. A good example would be to pair up a single shirt with a few different pants, skirts or accessories. This shows a customer a few different looks and gets them thinking about how that shirt might look on them.


Employees may be great at selling, but they also need to understand the laws of store display. Make sure they know how to use the different display items, such as wall rack display boards, adjustable show cases, and display hangers to fully express their creativity. Supply rough drawings or blueprints for new employees or if you have a specific concept you want to portray. Setting up store displays is also another great way to get some productivity from workers when no customers are in the store.


Update store displays often. They should be changed out every couple of weeks to keep your store feeling fresh for your customers. Give different employees a chance to try their hand at store display setup and find out which ones have the knack for it. Adjust the display throughout the days if someone comes up with a great new idea.


Quality store displays are directly linked to product sales. Store display is something best learned hands on. As you sales force matures your displays will get better and better and you will notice your sales numbers increasing.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

Do You Have What It Takes To Succeed In Retail?

Starting any kind of entrepreneurial endeavor is a risky business and it is not guaranteed to succeed. It is absolutely critical that you make the right decision on what kind of business you want to be in. If you follow your passion you may not love every minute of it, but at least you will be working with something you enjoy will be more likely to succeed. Starting a retail clothing store poses some unique challenges. Here are some questions you should be able to answer.


Do you love people? In retail it is all about building relationships and networking. You need to understand how to communicate with people in a positive way to build these bridges. If customers feel you care about them they are more likely to return to your store when they need something or even just to visit. It is just as important when working with suppliers. You will relate differently with customers than the guy who supplies your clothes hangers. You also need to be able to attract, train, motivate, and lead a top notch sales force.


Do you have what it takes to deal with the long work hours? Most retail businesses are open 12 or more hours each day. With other duties such as inventory and accounting retail business can keep you on your feet morning to night. Especially in the beginning or during a crunch time you may find you are working 14 or even 16 hours each day just to stay on top of it. You also need to be willing to do whatever is necessary at the moment even if it is something simple like putting clothes back on the hangers. This takes enormous amounts of energy and the ability to push through fatigue when it is required.


Can you stay organized? You will be responsible for day to day operations, pay roll, hiring and firing, training, accounting, inventory, and a plethora of other aspects. This mostly comes down to time management. With so many pressures on your time you need to be spending your time on those things that matter the most. Just being busy is not enough. If you find you are spending all your time putting clothes back on hangers than you are likely to fall behind on those duties that will really affect your success. A general rule is the bigger your business gets the less involved you become in the details. If you are disorganized you store is likely to mirror that fact. No one is going to shop at a messy store with wrinkled garments and clothes hangers scatted every where.


If at all possible find a mentor. This should be someone who has a proven track record in related industry that you can trust. Drawing on this person’s experience you can learn things about retail not found in textbooks or school classrooms.
About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

The Basics Of Merchandising

The goal of merchandising is to make things as easy as possible for people to shop. It may seem like common sense, but there is a science to merchandising. A poor or confusing layout will frustrate customers and drive away sales even if they like what is in your store. This article covers some of the basic rules of merchandising.


What is displayed at front 15 ft semi-circle visible from the entrance of your store is the most important. This is how shoppers will determine if they are even interested in entering your store. Here is where you want to place your newest and top selling products. Great store or window displays will grab shopper’s attention and draw in customers. Keep these fresh and change out displays every couple of weeks; more frequently during peak holiday shopping periods. Generally items displayed on tables and walls sell the quickest. Display hangers on walls are the best way to show off new products because they are most visible. Build interior walls to increase prime display space and create sections of similar products or styles.


Space racks so people can move about your store without feeling crowded. Give people enough room to sort through racks comfortably. Usually 4-6ft is adequate. Racks themselves should be less than 5ft tall. Use all the same type of clothes hangers and have them hanging in the same direction. Invest in nice clothes hangers suitable to yours stores environment. Colorful plastic hangers for casual clothes, fashionable wooden hangers for men’s suits, or satin hangers with ladies evening wear or lingerie are just a few examples clothes hanger pairings. Do not clutter store racks with many different items.


Put sales tags in the same place as much as possible. This allows people to easily identify an items pricing and size. Needle tag clothes through seams to avoid damaging them. Cycle your inventory around the store every couple of weeks. This keeps your store looking fresh and helps you identify hot and a stale products. Hold sales to blow out those items that are not moving as well as seasonal inventory. Do not make the mistake of trying to hold on to inventory for next season.


If you have an especially large store and the budget for it you may want to higher a professional merchandiser get you on track, but following these rules is the easiest way to increase sales. Once you have a basic layout you will be able to adapt it to your changing needs.


About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers and wooden hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

Is it Time to Tackle Your Closet?

In our endlessly busy lives we hardly have time to stop and think about how organized our closet is. There is no doubt that our environment affects our outlook and attitudes in life. Every aspect of your closet can affect how you start each day. Did you have to dig through and yard out clothes because hangers are packed in too tightly, or was it easy to peruse your wardrobe and select the perfect outfit for the day ahead? This can leave you frustrated and irritable, or collected and ready to face any challenge. Even the color and textures of your closet shelving and clothes hangers plays a part. All of this plays a part in your success and enjoyment of life. Is it time to tackle your closet?


Ask yourself how you want to feel in the morning and create a closet space that expresses your individual style. This might take you as far as remodeling your entire bedroom or just purchasing all new matching clothes hangers or maybe you will just want to sort through your wardrobe and clean out a few old items you are not wearing any more. Ask yourself what is most important to you. Do you need more places to store your shoe collection, somewhere to hang up your basketball jerseys, or perhaps a tie rack?


When it comes to hangers there are so many choices. Do not subject yourself to flimsy wire hangers anymore. Wooden hangers have a classy feel and can help keep your closet smelling fresh. Bamboo hangers are gaining in popularity since they are environmentally friendly. Bamboo is a sustainable resource that grows without need for irrigation or pesticides. Slimline hangers are great if you need to maximize the space available. These are extra narrow hangers that allow you to hang up a shirt and several pairs of pants on a single hanger. Specialty hangers can really make the difference when it comes to selecting the right tie, or hanging up all those odd items, such as bikinis and belts. Adjustable hangers might be a good choice if you are taller or shorter than average. These hangers can be formed to fit your clothing exactly so nothing will end up on the floor overnight.

One thing is certain; an organized closet will leave you with a few minutes extra in the morning to read the paper or sit and enjoy a cup of coffee before heading off to work or school. How valuable would that be over the next few years?



About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers and bamboo hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

Get Your House Ready To Sell

Selling a house in today’s market can pose a challenge. Gone are the days when buyers would flock to your doorstep as soon as you planted the for sale sign in the front yard. Having your home stand out from the rest is more important now than ever. Here are a few things you can do to ensure you get the best offer.


First of all, your home needs to be properly looked after. Let us assume that you have dealt with all of the major things that might come up, such as a leaky roof or exposed asbestos around a furnace. It is best to wait till any renovations are completed before putting a house on the market since this can adversely affect your results. Smaller things should be addressed as well. Landscaping should be well cared for as this is the first thing prospective buyers will see. If the place is a mess from the street most people will assume the inside has not been cared for either and move on to the next one.


Once inside a serious buyer is going to look everywhere. Have note cards out to highlight key features of the house. Even if it is something obvious as “White Oak Hardwood floors”, or “New Kitchen Cabinets”, it will emphasize those points in a buyers mind. Make sure you keep a clean orderly house. Clear up all the clutter. You want to create a feeling of space as much as possible. You are going to have to organize almost everything in your home. Break it down into sections and tackle each area individually. There are multitudes of articles on the internet filled with ideas that can help you conquer each one. This may take some doing and a few garage sales or trips to goodwill. Something as little as a messy bedroom can put people off. Keep clothes in a hamper or on hangers in your closet. This also helps control odors.


When the Realtor calls for a showing you need to be ready. If you have stayed on top of things this should be a relatively stress free process. Have a plan and give everyone a task. Before they arrive spend some time to spot clean any areas that need attention. Take out the garbage and crack open a few windows to let out bad smells. Provide a place for dirty shoes, wet umbrellas, and extra coat hangers or a coat rack. Place some fresh flowers out on a table. When they arrive give a warm greeting and leave the home. Take the family and pets for a walk.


About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

Clothing Store Anti-Theft Devices

One of the worst scourges to the retail clothing industry is theft. It can be difficult to stop and if left unchecked can eat up profit margins, as thousands of dollars are literally walked out the doors. It is estimated that shoplifting accounts for between 20 and 30 billion dollars in lost merchandise every year. These anti-theft devices can help you battle the shop lifters and keep your store in business.


The most commonly used loss prevention devices are referred to as electronic article surveillance clips (EAS). These items have an electronic sensor or RFID chip in them designed to set off an alarm if someone tries to carry them through a store checkpoint. When someone purchases an item store clerks have a special tool to remove or deactivate the device. It can then be reused on another item. The most popular version takes form of an alligator clip with a pin through it. These clips are made of hard to break plastic and can be easily pinned onto any kind of garment.


Many devices will release indelible ink if a thief tries to remove them in a dressing room or later at home thereby ruining the stolen item. This is called benefit denial and prevents the thief from reselling the clothing. These devices are very difficult to defeat and even work against gravity.


For expensive items you can take measures further by running metal cables through sleeves and clothes hangers or store racks. People will still be able to try the items on, but will have a hard time walking away with them.


Security cameras or CCTV networks can also help monitor store activity. Cameras can help you cover blind spots. Place a camera over the cash registers as well. This way if there is any suspicious activity from employees you will have hard evidence before you wrongfully accuse someone, which could spark nasty legal action dissension among other workers. These systems have become much less expensive in recent years and digital recording devices have eliminated the need to store dozens of VCR tapes.


Without loss prevention devices there is nothing stopping thieves from simply pulling things off the hangers and carrying them out of the store. A small investment is required, but it is worth it. Tags cost between 50 cents and a few dollars depending on their style, but are reusable. Checkpoint towers start at around $1000. Once the system is in place it will pay dividends year after year.


About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

Franchising A Retail Clothing Store

There are literally hundreds of options when considering a retail clothing store startup. Franchising may be right for those who have the entrepreneurial bones, but are not necessarily filled with new ideas. Getting a business off the ground takes an enormous amount of time and planning. Instead of reinventing the wheel it may make more sense to purchase a retail clothing store franchise. Whatever you are interested in a franchise exists from shoes to lingerie. This article will examine some pros and cons of this style of business model.


Franchise packages can immensely shorten the startup time and increase your success rate. They provide a complete package from help finding a location to what clothes hangers to use. Most offer training on how to manage bank accounts and employees. These businesses already have relationships with suppliers and have setup product lines. Suppliers will know your business and may be able to give you better pricing structure than an unknown. Banks are more likely to provide financing for franchisees, since they are proven to be more successful than other business models. In order to even be considered for financing you have got to have a detailed business plan. Sometimes these can take several months to articulate and put together. The franchise model will have this step done for you and some may even provide in house financing. Another huge help comes with a proven marketing system. Franchisors know who their customers are and how to reach them. Even with a great idea you are nowhere if people do not know about you.


The support offered may be huge, especially if you are an inexperienced business owner, but of course it comes with a price. Franchise fees may vary from a few thousand dollars to tens or hundreds of thousands. Since these companies have a reputation to uphold you will be expected to perform in a certain way and provide specific products, whether they sell or not. Another drawback is you will have less input on exactly how your business is run throughout the year. This can affect everything from personal dress code clothes hangers, and store displays and layout. Large franchises may periodically send inspectors to make sure things are up to standards.


The key to success is to enjoy what you are doing. If you love the clothing industry, but are not completely comfortable stepping out on your own then finding the right franchise opportunity may be the answer. Franchisors will not do the work for you, but can definitely help you achieve your goals faster.



About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

Solving Wardrobe Dilemmas

Hangers have not always come in all shapes and sizes. For a field that has long been dominated by plain symmetrical metal or plastic hangers it is about time someone came along with some innovation. Thankfully creative minds have developed some sweet contraptions to solve our clothing storage conundrums. Today’s hangers come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and are crafted from a wide variety of materials such as, wood, metal, bamboo, and even recycled paper. If you are having trouble getting everything into your closet here are a few special hangers to help solve wardrobe dilemmas.

NOT ENOUGH STORAGE SPACE?

Of course the common battle we all fight is just getting everything in to our closets. While it may be time for a spring cleaning you may not have to throw out as much as you thought. Slim line hangers are super thin at a ¼” and can double or even triple your closet space. Another huge space saver is multi-slack hangers. These hold between three and six pairs of pants on a single hanger. Remember to leave a little room for accessibility to easily sort through your wardrobe.

ODD SHAPED ITEMS?

There is a hanger for everything from drapes and linens to a fancy evening gown. These hangers divert from the traditional triangular shaped hanger. The circular bikini hanger is a great invention. Here is another way to store bikinis or underwear instead of balling them up in a drawer. It makes it much easier to see what you have got and saves time having to search for matching sets.

Certain items just do not seem to stay hung up on any hanger. Here is where adjustable hangers come in handy. These hangers enable you to get the perfect fit for any garment. Removable pads can be easily popped off and adjusted to fill out any shirt or jacket size. This keeps dress shirts wrinkle free, since they hang in a more natural way. Alternatively foam or rubber hanger strips installed on any hanger make them slip free.

Maybe it is about time you got rid of your twisted old hangers. Your closet is about you and it is important. It is the portal you step through every morning before you enter the world. Get yourself out the door in the right frame of mind. Investing the time to make an organized and functional closet will reap dividends for years to come.


About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers and plastic hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

Organizing In Bamboo

If you are looking for an alternative to the IKEA trend of plain painted particle board furniture you might look into the growing market of bamboo products. More and more items are becoming available at affordable prices every day. Unless you have a fortune to spend on custom designed everything for your home you will probably be looking for thrifty ways to stay organized. Laundry sorters, storage bins, shoe racks, hangers, and cutlery trays are just a few of the items we all need, but do not want to invest our life savings in.

The reason bamboo is a great alternative and an ecological choice for furniture is because of the unique properties of the bamboo plant. It has all the traits of a great crop. Resilient, fast growing, pest and pest resistant and it can be manufactured into anything from building materials like hardwood flooring or furniture to high end clothing, towels, and bedding. Some species grow up to 1’ per day without pesticides or fertilizer, which makes it one of the most sustainable crops on the planet.

We all need to store things and often rely on big plastic bins or particle board shelving units, since they seem inexpensive. Unfortunately manufacture of these products relies heavily on the petroleum industry and their relatively short life span makes them an inferior choice. Plastic storage bins stain and become difficult or impossible to clean and will not biodegrade once they are thrown away. Plastics become brittle overtime and will eventually break. There are often weak points in the design, such as retaining brackets or connectors that break easily and render the whole unit useless.

Prefabricated bamboo storage containers can be used to organize just about anything and will fit inside drawers, closets, and cabinets. You might consider replacing or upgrading metal or plastic clothes hangers to bamboo hangers. Bamboo versions of any of these products will be highly dent resistant and should last much longer wear better their plastic or particle board constructions. Whether it is for your laundry sorter, closet organizer, or that little magazine holder next to the toilet the elegant real wood grain will add class to your home and lifestyle. Most of these items can be purchased at costs on par with plastic and particle board alternatives.

You do not have to be rich to have a lovely home you just have to be smart. Make decisions that save the planet and your money. Next time you are in the market for furniture, organizers, or hangers take a look at bamboo.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of woodenclosethangerfactory.com"> hangers and closethangerfactory.com"> clothes hangers. For more information, please visit closethangerfactory.com"> http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

What's That Smell in your Closet?

You have just gotten out of the shower. Going over to your closet to get dressed, you open the doors and are assaulted with foul odors. Closet odors can be a nasty problem. Since closets are confined spaces even the faintest odor producing source can create a terrible stench over time, and the smell gets on everything. While the temptation may be to spend the rest of the day naked there is something you can do about closet odors.

It is important to consider the cause of your closet smells. Closets are dark places and musty odors can develop even at normal temperature and humidity levels, especially if clothes or linens are not completely dry when they are put away. Items stored for long periods of time are particularly susceptible, and the scents that are absorbed by clothes can remain on them like an aromatic stain even after several washings. Other sources might be sweaty gym shoes, kitty litter, There are literally hundreds of sources of closet odor that fall into two categories “latent” odors, and “continuous” odors.

With latent odors the source of the stench is no longer present and they can be remedied with intensive cleaning. This would include that unidentifiable noxious smell left by a previous owner. Other examples include mold, pet odors, spoiled food, or mothballs. If the smell is new keep in mind it could be the sign of a leaky roof or siding and investigate accordingly. First take everything out of the closet. All items will need to be thoroughly cleaned. Wash clothes in warm water and repeat if necessary. A solution of ½ cup of vinegar, and a ¼ of baking soda mixed with hot water should be used to cleanse all surfaces in the closet. Bleach is not advisable since it will leave a pungent odor all its own. Leave the closet empty and the door open for several days to dry out.

If you store a lot of shoes, dirty laundry, or cat litter in your closet you will be dealing with continuing source odors. Initially a thorough cleansing of the closet may be required, but it may not be possible to eliminate the source odor. Here you will need something to absorb the odors before they build up, or create a path for them to escape. Placing cups of vinegar, perfume, dryer sheets, or baking soda around the inside of the closet is great for this. Sprinkle anti fungal powder or baking soda in shoes. Alternatively you dangle a sachet of volcanic crystals or perfumed cotton from clothes hangers. Another great way to keep clothes smelling fresh is to use wooden hangers made of cedar.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers and wooden hangers. For more information, please visit Http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

Feng Shui Your Store

Running a retail business poses unending challenges. Retail is one of the most competitive business avenues. Setting up appealing store displays can make the difference between a ghost town and a busy sales floor. Like the cover of a book it is the visual presentation of your store display that is the first interaction your customers will have with your business, however it does not guarantee sales. If you have a great store front or window display, but still find that customers wander through your store and leave without picking up a single product then perhaps the layout of your store needs to be retooled. Once a customer enters your store the goal then becomes to create interaction with your products. Sub consciously everyone is aware of what looks good and feels good. Consider applying these feng shui principles to your sales floor.

You may think it is best to display as many different products as possible, but that can lead to a disorganized cluttered store. Space items out so that you are not overloading customer senses. Creating focal points with key items is best. Even small details like cheap or ugly plastic clothes hangers can turn someone off from making a purchase.

Make it a journey through the store. You want aisles to be clear and connect in multiple pathways. Place racks at different angles or in circular fashion. Maintaining clear visibility throughout the store will help people to wander through to whatever interests them the most.

Pay attention to the lighting. Utilize different levels and intensities of light to create different moods for customers. Overhead fluorescent lights provide excellent visibility, but have a cold clinical feel. Table lamps or hanging pendant lights are much warmer and inviting. Experiment with products that create their own light. Sound can play apart as well, for example the gurgling of a fish tank can add a soothing element of water. Do not be afraid to make changes as you go. Talking to customers regularly about their shopping experience can provide the valuable data to make the right ones.

With every decision or product placement you should be striving to create a comfortable environment where people will feel good spending their money. Remember that the emotional experience is a large part of shopping. Use these principles to develop an interesting varied experience for customers, so that they will be more likely to make a purchase. If a client feels good about spending time in your store they will certainly return.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com

Solutions for a Cluttered Closet

Do you have a cluttered closet? Is something amiss in your armoire? Do you suspect that there are living things amidst the wilderness of your wardrobe? Then take a few minutes to read this helpful article, and learn about the amazing difference hangers, shelves, and shoe racks can make in your disorganized depository.

If you’re taking the time to read this you are probably one of the many who suffer from a woefully dishevelled walk-in closet. One glance at the mangled wire hangers sticking out everywhere and you turn back and begin searching the floor for something to wear. Hangers are not the enemy. Clothes are easily accessible when hung at eye level and properly sorted. Hangers help to keep your clothes wrinkle free and maintain those perfect creases in your dress pants. Get rid of all the bent-out-of-shape metal hangers lurking in your closet. Look for collapsible, multi-tiered hangers, which save space by allowing you to hang multiple garments at once. Dress shirts, pants, and dresses should all be kept on hangers with adequate space between items. It may seem like added expense, but you’re clothes were expensive too, and this will help protect that investment.

Shelves provide compartments to separate different types of clothing. Many home stores, such as IKEA, or Home Depot, carry adjustable shelving units that are easy to install. Stack sweaters on one shelf and t-shirts on another. Baskets can be used on shelves to hold socks, belts, or scarves. Most closets come standard with a shelf above the clothes rod. Install a second shelf a little higher up to create more storage space for off season clothes and shoes.

Shoes have a way of getting jumbled together at the bottom of most closets. Shoe racks keep pairs together and easily accessible. Shoes you wear infrequently can be stored in shoe box size containers and placed on an upper shelf. Choose clear plastic containers for shoe storage so you can view them quickly and easily. Another option is a hanging shoe bag. This can be hung on the back of the closet door and adds additional storage space for those who own more shoes than clothes.

Organizing your cluttered closet should be a piece of cake. Remember, clothes hangers, shelves, and shoe racks provide the structure you need to get started. Leave your wardrobe worries behind and look forward to your coordinated closet. You will be amazed at how much time you save getting dressed in the morning.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of The Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers and childrens hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.

Cedar - The Wonder Wood

Most people are aware of the different uses of cedar. It is commonly used as a building material in construction. Lap siding, roofing shingles, decks, handrails, furniture, and tree houses are just a few examples of its application in this field. Cedar hope chests and armoires, and even clothes hangers repel moths, protect clothes, and leave them smelling fresh. It’s also found in the kitchen taking the form of salad bowls, utensils, and serving platters. But not everyone knows why cedar is so useful for making these various items. The purpose of this essay is to inform the reader of the attributes of cedar that make it so useful in so many ways.

King Solomon, well known for his wisdom in legal matters and 40 year reign over the kingdom of Israel, used the cedars of Lebanon in the construction of his temple in Jerusalem. Cedar is naturally decay resistant which makes it a wise choice to construct anything you want to last. In addition to it being decay resistant, it is also weather resistant. Cedar is able to endure the elements without cracking or warping making it a popular choice in construction of homes and furniture.

Whether it’s an old wives tale or not, most people believe that cedar can repel moths. No one likes to find little holes in their favourite wool sweater, or silk blouse. Experts say that it is the larvae of the brown moth that are responsible for those holes. The brown moth larvae feed on natural fibres such as wool, cotton or silk. The larval stage of the brown moth lasts from 71-145 days. Cedar contains aromatic oil that under the right circumstances can kill small moth larvae. An air tight, enclosed space, such as you would find in a cedar hope chest, is ideal for attaining the concentration of oil fumes needed to annihilate the unwanted larvae.

Cedar is light weight, easy to work with, and naturally durable. The natural oils it contains are capable of repelling water. The Native American took advantage of this by crafting canoes, cook ware and even clothing. They would weave clothing from the cedar fibres creating apparel ideal for the rugged environments they lived in. Cedar’s ability to withstand extreme temperatures allowed Native Americans to make bowls they could put heated rocks into to cook their food. Kitchens today hold many items made of this highly functional material.

With so many beneficial applications, construction, bug repellent, and daily tools, cedar can truly be called a wonder wood.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.