The mystique of Morocco is enveloping shoppers at Joel Inc.s store this spring.


Silken draperies hang from the ceiling; stacks of lush pillows, heaps of baskets, and colorful boxes repose on exotic carpets; and trunks evoke far-off destinations. Intricate metal lanterns and intriguing figurines add to the foreign flair.


On a Saturday afternoon in mid-May, the downtown shop threw a partyinspired by the classic film Casablanca, which was set in a Moroccan portto showcase its imports from North Africa.


The event is the kind of thing businesses that arent in malls must do these days to survive, says John Ferris, president of Joel and son of the Spokane retail establishments founder, Joel Ferris.


During the recent bash, employees wore Moroccan finery, and Ferris sported a costume topped by a red fez. Marrakesh, the Spokane Moroccan restaurant, whipped up hors doeuvres. A piano tinkled the bittersweet strains of As Time Goes By, which Bogey implored a pianist to play in the movie.


During the event and at least through the rest of the summer, when customers enter the store, theyll walk past the displays of draperies, baskets, and carpets set up to make it seem as if theyre strolling through a Moroccan bazaar.


Joel also hosts an annual Christmas open house, and last autumn featured fall colors and lodge-look items in a Salute to Vermont, which Ferris plans to repeat this year. Also this fall, he is planning a Cocktails for 2000 eventto highlight glasses and barware for parties held to celebrate the new millennium.


The challenge is to make shopping fun, Ferris says. Its fun to find something special and be treated well by people you know.


More than ever, specialty stores such as Joel must employ pizzazz to offset the convenience of shopping by e-mail, ordering from catalogs, and going to the mall, says Ferris, who compares retail to staging a show.


Little thingsa flickering flame and soft scent of a lighted candle, lilting notes of music, and food samplescan add up, Ferris says. He contends that merchandising involves all the senses.


Why Morocco? Imports from Morocco, Tunisia, and the rest of North Africa are up, and travel to those destinations has increased, Ferris says. Handcrafted items from the region blend French, Spanish, Italian, and African influences in a way that is exotic, yet accessible, he says. Hes betting unique and affordable goods from North Africa will appeal to his customers this spring and summer.


Ferris doesnt know for sure how they will respond to the goods, but Joel must be doing something right. It has offered a kaleidoscope of wares to Spokane shoppers for nearly 50 years after opening in November 1950 in a narrow shop on West Sprague Avenue.


Just a few steps away from the stores North African wonders, the bright colors of the French countryside bloom. Pottery, linens, and casual dinnerware glow in cheery hues of marigold, cobalt, and lemon yellow.


Nearby, elegant glassware, high-quality cookware, and an eclectic selection of housewares, gift items, and furniture help fill the about 15,000 square feet of retail space in Joels old brick building at 165 S. Post.


The inspiration for the shop came when Joel Ferris, the nephew of the Joel Ferris for whom a Spokane high school is named, traveled to a Seattle trade show on behalf of his employer, stationery retailer John W. Graham, and became smitten with the contemporary products he saw. Modernisms sleek simplicity was reaching its heyday then, and Ferris wanted to offer the beauty he saw in those designs to Spokane customers. The spare lines of the contemporary movement hadnt yet reached mainstream culture in the Northwest, and in Spokane, in 1950, it was revolutionary, Ferris says.


Back then, Joel sold mostly gift items and glassware.


Joel later began selling furniture in what Ferris calls a happy accident. His father had used chairs and tables designed by trendsetters to show off flatware and accessoriesand customers began buying the displays. As furniture sales grew, Joel required more space, and in 1967 it moved into its current location, which at the time was in a seedy area with an abundance of flophouses and liquor stores. The bankers thought he had lost his mind, Ferris says of his fathers move. The building previously had housed a refrigerator factory and a car dealership warehouse.


Joel Ferris wife, Mary Jean, joined him in the shop in 1975, after raising a family of four boys and a girl. In 1990, the couple retired, although they remain on Joels board of directors. The board also includes other businesspeople, such as Buckeye Beans & Herbs Inc. founder Jill Smith, Ferris says. Ferris and his brother, Toby, who is Joels vice president and heads up the furniture side of the business, handle daily operations. Other Ferris siblings not involved in the stores daily operations also are on the board.


John Ferris, 35, didnt work at the store during his youth. He discovered that he enjoyed retailing when he worked at then-small Starbucks Coffee Co. while he attended the University of Washington, They showed me how fun retailing isand how to make something really simple special, Ferris says. He joined the family business in 1987.


Through the years


Teak furniture in the Danish Modern style was a mainstay for the store through the 1980s, when design trends began to shift toward the neoclassical. Joel started selling a more eclectic mix of furnishings, mostly of American origins, such as the currently popular Arts & Crafts-style Stickley furniture. Offering simple, comforting classics kept us viable and current, Ferris says.


A selection of giftware so varied even Ferris says it is hard to define also has evolved over time, he says. From handmade French pottery to shark-shaped staplers, Joel tries to offer a fun mix of what people want, he says. Ferris strives in his buying to evoke from customers the exclamation, Ive never seen anything like this before.


He discovers the stores products at trade shows in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and occasionally New York, where he prowls displays taking careful notes and looking for unique items. The items that stick in his mind are probably the things Joel will be offering.


He calls himself a little bit of an archeologist. He metaphorically sifts items through sieves to find the objects he seeks. The sieves he uses are questions: What type of customer would buy this? What price range would it fall in? Where and how can it be displayed at Joel?


He sometimes buys things he thinks will suit a certain frequent customer, but usually selects items that will fit an occasion. Much of the year, the focus of Joels business is bridal gifts, so he looks for items that would make an appropriate $25 wedding gift for someone you hardly know. As Christmas nears, shoppers are willing to spend more to get unique gifts for loved ones, he says.


Ferris wants Joel to be the first to carry specific items, works to keep things fresh, but must be cautious not to overbuy.


Its like steering a ship; youve got to be ready for swells, and must keep your hands on the wheel, he says.


A cautious approach and careful monitoring of costs, margins, and advertising dollars has brought longevity to Joel. Weve grown by inches not feet, says Ferris, who declines to disclose the business sales, but says growth is steady.


Ferris also is planning for Joels long-term future. He wants to computerize the stores inventory to make managing it more efficient, and to renovate the building inside and out. He would like to remodel to make the interior staircase more prominent and perhaps add an elevator. The buildings exterior could be spruced up, he says, and he would like to add trees to the streetscape in front of the store. Ferris says that if the downtown is rejuvenated and foot traffic increases, he would like to add an in-store caf someday.


He says the next few years should be exciting for downtown retailers, as projects such as the renovation of River Park Square and the potential rebirth of the Davenport Hotel promise to renew the heart of the city as a destination.


Hopefully well be here another 50 years to see the continuing changes, Ferris says.