Sock Hop Socks

Latvian Wedding Socks from Red Bird Knits

I was talking to a store today and the owner asked me how she could reduce her pattern inventory. Anyway, I put my thinking cap on and came up with a few strategies.

Here is the first idea. You could group patterns and create a themed event around them. For example, let's say that you have a lot of sock patterns that you would like to see fly or "dance" out the door. How about staging an old fashioned "Sock Hop."


1. Have customers get dressed up in 50's garb, with "bobby" socks or better still with socks that they have knit. You may even want to "plant" a few people with socks on of patterns that you would like to reduce.

2. To limit the excitement, not to mention the noise, you could make this a "flash" event - maybe a few half hours during the day.

Winter Dreams from Red Bird Knits

3. Serve cherry coke. Have a disc jockey to get it all going. Take lots of pictures and put them up on Twitter and Facebook. Borrow a vintage turn table and some LPs. Have prizes. (spot dances) Link it to a good cause, perhaps and have all your sock patterns front & centre.  Give the patterns away as prizes. Have a mini sock fashion show. Have a chorus line - anything that will hype up the need to knit socks.

4. Book our trunk show of Red Bird Knits socks for some added interest and kick up a storm!

Please let me know if this works for you.