The Art of Visual Merchandising: Short North

Join ZenGenius’ Joe Baer as he explores the hip stores in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The Art of Visual Merchandising: Short North features fantastic stories with the entrepreneurs that created these unique boutique stores in one of the Nations premier creative neighborhoods and arts districts.

Join ZenGenius’ Joe Baer as he explores the hip stores in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The Art of Visual Merchandising: Short North features fantastic stories with the entrepreneurs that created these unique boutique stores in one of the Nations premier creative neighborhoods and arts districts. The Short North is one of the nations best neighborhoods, and has a unique history and revitalization story of its own. This vibrant arts district is alive with restaurants, galleries, bars and one-of-a-kind-boutiques. However, in the seventies and eighties the district saw its demise and corruption. Starting with the PM Gallery, Maria Galloway helped to pioneer the vision to create something special. The Short North embraced Gallery Hop as a monthly event to draw foot traffic and awareness to the district. Over the years, the neighborhood has evolved but at the heart of this district are the entrepreneurs that have a dream, a vision and a drive to realize that vision with hard work and perseverance. Joe Baer is an expert in visual merchandising, and as the Co-Founder and Creative Director at ZenGenius, Inc. he works with retail brands to provide creative support and educate the retail community on the power and importance of visual merchandising within the retail design industry. Baer is passionate about great visual experiences and his exuberance comes through in his interviews and story telling. “I learned much about the art and science of visual merchandising as you take your readers on a tour of distinctive and innovative Short North Stores.” Patricia Sheehan, Editor VMSD Magazine. This book focuses on boutique merchandising, and the philosophies and thoughts behind these one of a kind retail experiences. Join Baer on his journey to learn what makes these store experiences so special. The Art of Visual Merchandising: Short North features augmented reality photos using the application Aurasma, which allows the book to come to life with interviews of Joe and the store owners. This book is educational and inspiring for anyone that has ever dreamed of opening there own store or pursuing a career in visual merchandising.

Joe Baer is the Co-Founder, visionary and creative force behind ZenGenius. He is a leader among the Visual Merchandising and retail industry and is committed to raising the awareness of Visual Merchandising as an important element of any great retail and event experience. He believes Visual Merchandising is an amazing career path for many creative individuals that are looking for a rewarding and fulfilling opportunity. In addition to his extensive knowledge of Visual Merchandising, Joe is an experienced public speaker and travels around the world inspiring and teaching others about the power of Visual Merchandising. He leads training programs, conducts interactive Visual Merchandising workshops and is well known for creating and leading the IRON MERCHANT CHALLENGE, a signature interactive workshop held each year at the International Retail Design Conference. Joe has been a judge for VMSD Magazine's International Visual Merchandising Contest for over five years and has sponsored the Holiday Window Contest in the Short North Arts District of Columbus, Ohio for several years. His inspiration comes from absolutely everywhere and everything.