Green sounds good to me. If you find a nice medium toned one that you like, it should look summery in summer and cheery at Christmas. Green's not a bad color for smocks and logo too.

Green symbolizes nature, and nature isn't snooty; it's for everyone. It represents tranquility, abundance, good health, good luck, money and jealousy. Maybe your customers will be jealous that they don't have your items and will buy them? Green is also associated with generosity, so maybe folks will buy gifts for their friends.

Green is a calming color, and you want your customers to feel calm and good in your store so they linger. The longer they linger, the more likely they are to see that thing they just have to have.

You might also want to read this...

Here is a link that might be useful: Color psychology in marketing

I understand not wanting to go with a boring neutral but if you are going to decorate seasonally as well as having competing furnishings and signs, I think a more bland wall color will work much better for you.

Short of cream or grey, green is probably the only color that will work with the fall, spring and winter decor you're describing. Maybe a green with a little bit of grey-blue?

I think an light aqua blue would be nice. It's cheerful without being too bright. While it's not a traditional Christmas color, but it has become popular.

By the way, I worked for Banana Republic when I was in grad school and their trick was to paint most of the store white, but to paint the back "wall" of shelves a color that changes with the seasons. It was a quick change and people always knew something felt different, but they could never really figure out what had changed.

If you want to stick with a green, go for a sagey green. I was trying to think of the color and a wreath a friend showed me back at Christmas reminds me of it.

jeannie, OMG, I love that wreath. I'm assuming they are real succulents? Where did your friend get it?

What about something like BM Guilford Green?

Another I thought of was BM Harbour Town.

They're both pale enough to work with spring colors, would go well with vibrant summer colors, natural autumn earth tones, and it's certainly subdued enough to work with traditional Christmas decor. The Guilford is a little greener and the Harbour Town is more neutral.

I think your wall color should remain neutral so any color you use will pop out - whether the season color is orange, green, red, whatever - make the background neutral.

For the store help I would have their aprons stand out - like a red or an orange or a bright blue.

I would go with something artsy, distinctive, memorable, dramatic -- like a warm purple, or a deep teal, or a saturated chartreuse, or a French blue. Then, tone it down with lots of classic black and white as a sub-theme. Your aprons, signage and logo could be mostly black and white graphics with a shot of some striking color. You could do traditional black and white designs like a checkerboard black and white floor, or black and cream toile wallpaper, and combine that with some colorful walls, countertops, or trim. If that seems too overwhelming, try the one wall approach jeannine mentioned. I once managed a small retail store and every season would paint one wall to tie in with our promotions. Change is good. It encourages customers to return. It freshens the energy. I'd also look at some Feng Shui books regarding color and placement to gain some ideas, like having a fountain or aquarium in the store.

Jenny, that wreath is life succulents. It was from vivaterra.com and was about $90. She said it was supposed to be very easy to care for.

Oh, and I think I should clarify that BR used to have us paint inside the shelving built ins...not the whole wall. You see designers do it with bookcases these days.

Pretty sure Banana gave up on that...it was costly and if you didn't have someone who loved to paint, it was a chore.

I'd think about a happy, soft green (a Spring green or apple) or a cheerful, soft yellow (cream).

I had a neighboohd gift/candy shop called Grannys Sweet Shop a few years back and painted it a deep green to envoke "times past" It is a warm and inviting color, went wondfully with all of the seasons and decorating. Pastels for Easter and spring, Bikers days in the summer, even the July Forth colors looked good., Of course fall and Christmas was not problem. Even the year that I decorated in all white and blue snow people looked great. Many customers would come in and say that they felt as if they were in an expensive boutique. For a logo, choose something really simple to copy, draw, embroider and place EVERYWHERE so people will recognize it. Perhaps a leaf of a local tree.

I would think about whether your produce will be showing against the wall color or if it is backdropped by something else -- make the luscious fruits and vegetables, and flowers, look irrestible and scrumptuous!

I agree, to do something unique and boutique-y would be nice!

Wow, so many terriffic idea's!!

I'm really loving the black and white parkay floor!

I really like that Boutiqueie thing since this is a "Market" and not a normal store.

Inside we'll have dairy, breads, dried fruits and nuts and coffee, homemade goodies (lemon tyme tea bread is a specialty of mine) and really good coffee. Just a couple of tables for the men to sit at and drink their coffee while the women shop.

There will also be the fruits and veggies, candles, aprons and garden hats. I'll manage to throw in a straw bale here and there to keep it "Outside-ish".
I need it to be welcoming and not stand offish. I want people to be able to come in and relax and take time looking and not be intiimidated by a "too ritzy" decor.

I also don't want that "country as cornbread" look either. It's Texas and we have enough of that!

Please keep posting with any ideas. I love it!!

Well now that I'm thinking about it...

The Main Street Market here in Charlottesville, VA is a large building that's home to some very high end shops. It's a great place to spot local celebs (John Grisham, Dave Matthews Sissy Spacek...). Anyway, here are the colors they use...I'm linking to pages where you can see interiors of some of the stores.

The common space where tables are: creamy gray (if that makes sense)
The "farm table" store: blue and yellow
The espresso bar: very blue!
The organic butcher: white and black
The seafood place: white and blue w/ orange accents
The cheese/oil/organic place: deep orange/burnt sienna and yellow
The florist: aqua blue
The kitchen supply: white and yellow, some blue and orange
The chocolatier: a deep orangey red with cream and lots of mahogany
The bakery: creamy yellow

Sales and marketing does extensive research on these sorts of things, so you might want to see what they're up to.

Blue generally suppresses the appetite and doesn't make food look appealing, so that might be one to stay away from.

Red is the most appetite-stimulating and also promotes lingering and conversation -- but, I don't know about painting the whole place red! Maybe you can work a deep, soothing one in to certain areas though.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Psychology of Color

Where will you be located? We're near Dallas .....

Yes -- I'd like a store that changed the color of at least one wall to help promote a seasonal display. Nothing worse than a stale display for any store of ANY type! LOL!

For more display ideas -- check out the wonderful main stores at Canton Flea Market -- some amazing stalls there that change each month for that month's First Monday sale.

Also I vote for a silvery gray green like Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage. I still remember when the first store opened here in Dallas and had their walls painted that color -- I dragged my husband in -- and we bought that paint as soon as it became available -- and painted our master bedroom. It is STILL an amazing color that seems to change with the light BUT works with so many accent colors!

And don't forget mirrors -- amazing for display!