I came across this set of images from a blog that I watch, and thought how much it symbolizes everything that I think is new and ‘cool’ about trends in store design. http://vmsd.com/content/regent-street-reboot What I’ve noticed, and ‘love’ is the mix of traditional elements with the modern. Abstract Mannequins vs Rustic Woods vs Vintage Fixture pieces An example would be the trolley table and the pipe floor fixture on the left in this image with the warm oiled-looking wood and then the gorgeous clothing styled on Abstract mannequins. You’ll also notice that it has boutique-type merchandising with most of the clothing at one lower level. Perfect merchandising by the way. garments all facing the correct way. Pants coming after the shirts so that they tell a story. When I start with shirts and end with pants, I’m subliminally telling the customer that all these items ‘go together’. The other thing that makes this an Gold Medal Award Winner is their attention to promoting the Brand of the Retailer. Timberland is a very old (1918) company which started with boot making. They introduced
Merchandising Ideas for Retailers I’m a big fan of Free People, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. I’m a big fan of a 4′ cross-bar, and not the 2′ bars that you see here. That being said, I love this presentation. They’re following a lot of rules that I would adhere to. I.e. Lightest to Darkest from left to right. Tops above bottoms and so on. They’re also doing a lot of things I likely wouldn’t do, especially garments hung too high, and too much space between the shelf and the hanging garments. But…overall ‘This store is really fun and interesting!’ I love the denim on hooks. I love the clothing stories that are being told. I love the natural woods. I love the shelf over the hang bar and the custom hangers. My favourite stores are not ‘perfect’ stores. They’re ‘interesting’! I really hate slat wall! It’s probably my biggest nightmare! Here … ‘The Wall is interesting’. The necklace holders are made with capped copper pipe! The sample ‘fairy’ dresses are hung on hand formed hangers. The lighting is perfect! As an independent retailer, you
Why sexy? Anthropologie Last week I got the opportunity to have a look at the newest stores in Park Royal South Mall, West Vancouver. Most of you will already know that I believe Anthropologie is the leader in Visual Presentation. Urban Outfitters – The Sexy Sister I was blown away by how much I loved the design elements and visual presentation at Urban Outfitters. You may not know that Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People are all owned by the same company – Urban Outfitters Inc. Hence their similarities! I’m not going to talk about their product or controversies in this blog post, but only what I love and why. The Entry Urban and Edgy The materials are humble! Plywood, Pegboard, concrete floors, recycled timbers. The Design element of the timber-framed pentagon and triangle is everywhere; from the clothing fixtures to the upper walls . The repeating of the element keeps the store cohesive and interesting. The space is interesting from the floor to the really high ceilings. Have a look at the lighting as well in these images. I’m not a huge fan of
Merchandising Concepts The Vintage Suitcase I don’t know how many times I’ve been to thrift stores looking for Vintage Suitcases. I’ve left them as they were; I’ve painted them numerous colours; I’ve re-purposed them many times, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any used like this. This is a reception desk! Where do I get props? I’m always asked this question. Here goes. Lumber yards of all kinds. Habitat for Humanity stores which are full of amazing things, and super cheap, and I can take them back there when I’m done! Wholesalers of all kinds. I travel to trade shows to see what’s new and happening but remember to order right away, because if it’s cool enough to buy, others think so too; Discount stores including ‘dollar stores’; Multicultural areas like Vancouver’s Chinatown and lastly I personally make a lot of things. Hope that gives you some inspiration and gives you new ideas for your store. What does Urban Spaces Design offer? We are here to help you as a Consultant, A Designer, and Expert in Visual Presentation and
Here are 8 Key Questions you need to ask before you renovate. These same questions apply to Residential, Retail and Commercial renovations. 1. Do you feel your location is a good one? A client of mine had a very successful long-time business in a clean well-managed strip mall. Over the course of a number of years it totally changed and no longer reflected the type of customers he wanted to attract. Renovation wasn’t in the works in this case so he moved! For him, the location wasn’t right any longer. 2. Can you see yourself staying in your present location for another 7 years There are good reasons that large Shopping Centres make you do tenant improvements every 5 – 7 years. They keep everyone looking fresh, and keep the customers coming in! When you’re signing a new lease, you really need to ask yourself this question. Is the neighbourhood changing. Has the foot traffic changed? Are the demographics of the neighbourhood who you want to attract as customers? If not, perhaps you would be better moving than renovating. When a retailer renovates a store,
Why should I try a commercial renovation? New Build above Almost ready to open I’m going to explore this topic for a few posts, because most of the time that I’m doing design, it involves a renovation rather than a New Build. Here are some quickie comments on the topic that I hear much of the time. I need More Room or Less Room. My space is looking dated. My customers are beginning to look elsewhere My company has grown and I want to show the public that a renovation is a sign of things to come My Furniture or carpet is worn, ripped and stained. My space plan isn’t working any more. I need new technology I want to attract new employees Upgrades – What does it cost for a commercial renovation? Remodeling costs or Tennant Improvements costs vary greatly There are good reasons why landlords make you sign tenant agreements. They want the value of their property to grow, and for you to grow your business also. “No run down properties for them”. On the higher end of the scale Factors like
Retail Windows that Get Noticed I’m working on a presentation for a Business Community and it really doesn’t matter if it’s a Clothing Store, A Bank, a Travel Agency or others. The message I would give them would be the same. You must ensure that your store front and windows portray what your business, it’s strategy and brand stand for. Anything else is counter productive! Two to Three Seconds to make an impression That’s all the time you get to get new customers in the door. The time it takes to drive by or walk by…you can count the seconds yourself. Your store front has to: 1. Catch their eye 2. Send a Simple Single Message 3. Give a compelling reason to stop 4. Lure them into an in-store visit. If you know your Strategy and Target Market then the window and store front message will be designed to appeal only to that target market segment. For example, If you’re an upscale Children’s Toy Store, everything about that store front will be designed to entice your target market into your
Risers and other things! What’s wrong with this merchandising? Yes, I love the mugs and…I love the cushions, but they have NO connection. You will sell more product if you ‘Tell a story’. Here are your choices. You can put all the mugs together in an area You can put all the cushions in an area or… You can tell a story with Chairs, Cushions, Breakfast nook, Coffee beans… What I really dislike. In the image above, they have chosen to put the cushions up against the dreaded slot wall – possibly to hide it. Cushions generally go into a cabinet or showcase sideways or they are used in a ‘setting’. They’ve used a ‘RISER’. Whatever for? Risers should only be used to elevate product when it wouldn’t otherwise be seen. Professionals will use risers only as a last resort! The price tag is placed front and centre on the mug. In my opinion the price tag should be on the bottom of the mug, where it doesn’t distract from the message. It makes customers pick it up to see if they like
I couldn’t resist this cover photo. It’s so gorgeous! Timing is everything It never ceases to amaze me that retailers will arrive in my showroom to choose garment hangers within 2 weeks of opening their new store. Yes, I can provide you with in-stock hanger programs, but here’s an opportunity to customize your hangers and reinforce your branding message. It takes about 12 weeks from time of order to get customized hangers…and it’s worth it! Why ’48 to the Bar’ Here’s a ‘RULE OF THUMB’ for you. For every 1″ of hanging bar width, you will need 1 hanger. Therefore a 48″ bar will take 48 garments. Hence ’48 to the Bar’! This is an easy way to figure out how many hangers you need to purchase. I.e. Every double hung section of uprights and cross-bars will take approximately 100 hangers. You will then need to determine how much is top hangers and how much bottom hangers. For thicker garments like outerwear or Men’s suits you will have fewer than the 48 garments because the hanger will be larger
I’m going to tell you a story about NEED and WANT. My husband regularly takes our two year old grandson Ryder out for lunch and play. A couple weeks ago, after lunch he took him to a motorcycle store. Ryder immediately finds a small replica motorcycle and tells his ‘Papa’ that he WANTS it. My husband says “No, You need to be four years old to have that toy.” (This toy is $20.00.) Fast forward two weeks, and again my husband takes Ryder to the same store, and guess what? Ryder picks up the same toy, and now says to his Papa, “Papa, I NEED it.” This time Papa buys the toy. I laughed! Ryder is only 2 but he has an extensive vocabulary and he knows the difference between WANT and NEED. His Dad snowmobiles, rides dirt bikes, and does all kinds of outdoor activities. I think that Ryder wanted to be ‘like Dad’. He NEEDED that toy. What about RETAIL Want and Need. It seems to me that what we want to do in Retail is to create
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