Long Time No Write

Its been quite awhile since I’ve  posted. Honestly its due to the fact that I have been busy as hell.  Been a long haul but I think retail is making a comeback [at least here in Philadelphia] I’ve designed and built 6 stores since May and that’s REAL good considering that the previous three years were death. Lynne and I have been knockin out carts and short-term shops in a number of local malls and even a few Food Court take-outs.

Kitchenette was back in early spring, A long hard job, but I loved it. The owner is my longest running client [30 years] and we have built and remodeled countless times. At this point our rapport is right to the point,no bullshit lets just get this job done is our common mantra.

Lots of small items and pegboard

I love Harriet Nelson’s quote

The next was Wayne Sporting Goods, another familiar client, over the years we have remodeled piece by piece their two-story shop on Philadelphia’s mainline. Before and Afters are the best way to illustrate the difference. I haven’t had time to get out there and take finish shots.so these will have to do

A very before shot

After….Cleaned up and spacious

Not thrilled with the cyclone fixtures

After….a huge difference

I’m sure some you know that I have worked for formal wear retailers for a long time. Gallelli’s is an Italian family business. I really respect their old world, three generations in the bis establishment, as local as local gets.

I remember what “Window Trimmers” used to do..

After… Bond, James Bond, “Shaken not Stirred”

Before…Need I say anything?

After…Now this is “Formal Wear”

Revzilla Motorsports has kept me busy for the last year. The office expansion was a big step which I helped with and now another move will take them to a completely new office, warehouse and retail store [which you will see in the future] For now a before and after of the employee lounge

A former Mummer clubhouse with a plywood bar

After Retro-Industrial refit

As I said Lynne and I have done a good deal of cart merchandising as well…The before shots are generally so ugly I can’t even record them for retail posterity …The After shots are a different matter. We laugh a lot on these gigs to keep from crying.

No, they don’t expand your biceps..

Energy bracelets…God knows I need one

The next set was my favorite..SPLAT! The latest juvenile must have…They are strange alien animals that when thrown at a suface splat and stick..Needless to say this juvenile [me] loved it..I threw them on every surface I could find, signs,marble,display windows you name it..it stuck..great fun.

Only disappointment is they don’t stick to flesh.

Splat cart…

How could I forget… Layla’s Boutique a chic little shop in a really tough space [all glass] No problem we have a solution for every retail quandary. No befores it was a shoe store,who moved out under the darkness of night. This was a quick job,but Lynne is a wiz at bows and over the top children’s wear. Thank goodness I don’t have to do the bows anymore. Yes Layla is a real child and very cute.

Floor to ceiling fixtures saved the day

Printed valances minimize the “off the shelf’” out riggers.

Layla is adorable.

“That’s all she wrote” Lets all hope for a good Holiday season…and  continuing growth for retail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“That’s all she wrote” Lets all hope for a good Holiday season…and  continuing health for retail.

Me,Julia Child and Peg Board

I recently finished an installation that nearly finished me. Kitchenette is a 3k sq. ft. retail space for all things cooking. The job left me longing for the days of ladies r.t.w. Soft goods are easy to merchandise,a steamer,a tagging gun and a rolling rack and your done. this is not the case with hard goods that are every imaginable size, shape and use.

This is the second location for the shop,the first just proved to be too small. The one thing I was firm about from the beginning of the design process was the use of commercial gondolas,I learned the hard way that one CANNOT build a cookware shop without pegboard. I know that pegboard is a dirty word in the realm of visual merchandising but take it from me, when faced with hundreds of gadgets there is no alternative, and don’t think grid panels will work either. I did make a concession to wood slat-wall in the end caps for a more upscale look.

Smart display provided the cube shelving units that line the window display areas and although their non-adjust ability can be frustrating at times, a good deal of product does fit and makes for a clean modern look’

The addition of a few vintage appliances gives the look a bit of humor and funk that I am always content with. The faux stack stone is  a reference to 60′s ranch houses that as of late are taking on a charm they did not have 20 years ago. The turquoise and yellow-green are a bow to current fashion that has crept into much of the house ware fabrication as well.

Since the shops opening we have re-merchandised it countless times. The peg board panels are a God send when it comes to display and adaptability. I am constantly reminded of the scene in the film “Julie and Julia” when Julia Child’s husband was drawing outlines around a frying pans hanging from peg board in her kitchen. If it was good enough for Julia it is certainly good enough for me.

Thanks Julia

Here’s the link to more photos   http://www.flickr.com/photos/vori52/sets/72157629876216533/

and here’s the link to Kitchenette online http://www.shopkitchenette.com/

Everything Old

They say that “everything old is new again” So true, recently I have resurrected Fornasetti the Italian designer who was in vogue during the 70′s. I’ve always been attracted to his female in disguise series,which was available in every way imaginable,plates,wallpaper,ties,scarves,you name he did it. I still have a few of [now vintage] ties.

I’m sure I don’t have to explain as a visual merchandiser I am constantly in search of the perfect tag line. My latest window for a custom tailor client proved to be the perfect marriage of image and tagline. The ever-so-slightly crossed eyes of this female portrait are mesmerizing.

I found the response to be more positive than I expected. Those who remembered him were delighted to see it again and those who were not around 30 years ago were impressed with the images. The perfect cross-generational display. It is always gratifying to hit the nail on the head.

Related articles

• Barnaba Fornasetti: Fragrant in Design (ire100n.wordpress.com)
• il diavolo di Fornasetti (lizalaisa.com)

I’m Back and Better than Ever

Getting Better

It’s been months since I have written a blog post, fortunately it is due to the fact that I have been too busy. The last quarter has been a huge departure from this time last year and the year before. Our local retailers here in Philadelphia have made changes,for numerous reasons. Many are moving locations due to landlord renovations and the rebound of rental costs, downsizing is apparent. Regional malls are busy filling the spaces vacated by the nationals during the recession. Short term leases given to locals seeking the traffic a mall can provide are popping up everywhere. Due to this movement Lynne and I have been stretched to the max. I can barely leave my phone with all the “follow-thru” going on.

Perhaps the worse is over, retail has been culled of the non-performers and those who have nothing new to offer and it’s about time. Those choosing to attempt a new retail concept must have a sound business plan and plenty of cash to survive the first 3 years. Retail is no longer a pastime for bored “empty-nesters” [which used to include most of my customer base]

The generational shift is continuing to force established retailers to examine their business model as “boomers” retire and re-examine their buying habits due to fixed incomes. Movement is occurring everywhere as giant retailers struggle to target the younger buyer. J.C. Penny has launched a mammoth campaign to lure new customers. On the other hand Sears is suffering a slow painful death due to a lack of creativity and an aging customer base.

As I count myself among that “aging” customer base, I have had to exert a colossal effort to stay in front of the curve. My post recession client is half my age. As a designer I must spend more time to familiarize myself with new materials and methods of display that are in step with my very fashion savvy clientele. Just as in all matters the “Yin Yang” holds true. My years of experience afford me a large library of solutions for every retail quandary. I find this to be a comfort but also a challenge to apply my time-tested methods to a new set of requirements presented by younger clients.

More Show-Rooming and No Buying

Best Buy is closing 50 units due to slumping revenues. This doesn’t come as a big surprise, Amazon is cheaper. American retail is still struggling to find a new formula, the BIG BOX is just not the answer any longer. Bigger isn’t better, especially in the electronics category, where margins are slim. The recession has knocked some sense into the American consumer, price consciousness is at an all time high. Just as was stated in the following article shoppers are testing products in expensive showrooms then running home to purchase online. Its time to regroup and plan new approaches to this turn in customer behavior. I have always said small service oriented owner operated retailers are the way to go it seems truer now more than ever. Electronics is the toughest segment of all, unless you are proprietary like Apple [which still ticks me off]  I have an iPad,which drove me crazy for weeks I was on the help line constantly but was always treated with the utmost respect and polite guidance [ even though I was harsh at times]  I must admit that Apple has succeeded in creating an extraordinary product service experience, that seems immune to the problems of big box retailers…because its about one on one service administered by knowledgeable sales people…Hello! Best Buy… get the message?

 

Related articles

• Best Buy, the end of big box and the future of retail (gigaom.com)
• Best Buy to close 50 big box US retail stores, open 100 Mobile stand-alone outlets in 2013 (engadget.com)
• Best Buy, The Big-Box Model, And The Trouble With Real Estate (wired.com)
• Squeezed Between Apple And Amazon, Best Buy Posts $1.7 Billion Loss (cultofmac.com)

More Thoughts about Urban Outfitters

I knew the collective consciousness was working over time on Urban Outfitters latest debacle I received an interesting reply from

Bloginity  a very interesting and artistic magazine on retail related subjects. Read what they have to say about U.O.

http://www.bloginity.com/2011/09/urban-outfitters-fashion-night-out-2011/

and now the Irish are after them for their St. Patrick’s day merchandise

Related articles

• And Now Urban Outfitters Faces A Boycott For Defaming The Irish (businessinsider.com)
• Navajo sues Urban Outfitters over product names (aboriginalpress.wordpress.com)
• Navajo Nation Sues Urban Outfitters (awakenedaesthetic.com)

Support Local Retail…Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Hardware stores are on the endangered list

I’ve waved a banner for Local Retail for quite a while, seeing as how my client base is primarily local. I love these stories of customers showing support for retailers facing the Big Box invasion. This one is from Ohio, Chagrin Falls a pretty little town, that resembles a Norman Rockwell painting. I will always defend Ohio [the place of my birth] this is a story that says a great deal about the population  of  Chagrin and most of Ohio…There are genuinely NICE, and supportive. Everyone here in the East has an agenda, nice events are few and far between. The following article demonstrates what a Loyal clientele can do when they bond together.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/01/cash_mob_in_chagrin_falls_lend.html

Related articles

• Chagrin Falls Architecture (styletheories.com)
• ‘Cash Mob’ email helps Chagrin Hardware thrive (zdnet.com)
• In the era of big boxes, a day for the little guy (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Showrooming; Time to Act

 

Showrooming, definition; Inspecting products in a brick and mortar in order to then purchase online at the lowest price. I have to admit I am guilty, more than once I have done so. Unforgivable, especially as my pose is the champion supporter of all things retail, brick and mortar in particular. This practice is another hurdle in a long line of developments that brick and mortar retailers are forced to jump. What to do?

Target, saw a decline in their sales of electronics last Christmas, this comes as no surprise. The irony of that lies in the fact that the very product and technology that we are embracing daily in our own retail lives can be formidable enemy and could be our undoing. As internet use increases and price comparisons are a google click away retailers have no choice but to wear two hats, it is imperative that brick and mortar both embrace the new social media and at same time make the store experience superlative. The one bright spot in all this challenge is the fact that reality “shopping” is Americas favorite sport. The virtual marketplace will never replace the pleasure of strolling urban blocks of fascinating shops laden with bags containing all the latest “must haves” on a bright afternoon in May.

The recession has raised price consciousness to unimaginable heights. How as a shop keeper do I overcome the question of price? Target has resorted to requesting proprietary products from their vendors, which they can get away with due to their size. Local retailers do not have that advantage, they must rely on the developement of a loyal customer base. It’s about service, product knowledge, follow-up and unique presentation that make the small local retailer appealing. Only by increasing the “percieved value” of the product can a retailer overcome price comparisons and win support to create a loyal customer. The price shopper will always be just that, about price. Single out those customers who value a more personal relationship and value your opinion.

At the onset of  economic distress I thought my career had ended. Time to start painting again and return to my roots. I am pleased to say that this year M.Fried and I have experienced a rebound. Maybe the recession has proved to be a positive influence. The retailing field has been culled of unnecessary participants and too many national acts. Those who survived the shake up are now poised to move forward armed again with the resolve to succeed. The recovery still lies before us. The time  to re-examine our business’s is now. Never since the advent of print advertising has retail faced such sweeping changes. The showroom is where it all begins whether virtual or brick and mortar or both, ask yourself, what am I doing to create customer loyalty? to eliminate price comparison. Retail is coming back now is the time to act. 

Related articles

• Target asks vendors to help it fight “showrooming” (slashgear.com)
• Brick-And-Mortar Retailers Want You To Boycott Amazon (InnovationToronto.com)
• Brick-And-Mortar Retailers Want You To Boycott Amazon (InnovationToronto.com)
• Is Your Brick-and-Mortar Business Ready for Small Business Saturday? (aweber.com)

Noel de Paree

This is so damn cute I had the post it

Mens “Rigging” some things never change

I've Got You Under My Skin

Display has changed greatly over time, “Branding” has highjacked much of what I consider the  traditional skills that I learned as a young man from old school window trimmers.  The one aspect of Visual Merchandising that has survived is mens suit “rigging” which is the term used for fitting a suit or shirt to a display form. Butt sagging jeans and team jerseys have no baring on making an expensive men’s business suit look ” flawless” or as they say ” bounce a quarter off  the front of that shirt”. No amount of skillful digital photo manipulation can replace the look of the real thing, lit to death standing there in a window display.

  

As the years have passed I have encountered just about every category of product that retail has to offer and all the cyclical change in fashion that designers can come up with to sell their wares. The one category that still has a link with the past is traditional men’s clothing. Whether the vogue is 2 button, 3 button, double breasted, shawl, peak or notch they all require careful attention to the tailors art of detail.

I consider myself lucky to have a few  mensclients for longer than I care to remember. During the almost intolerable crush of the holiday season, when I finally get to my mens display I feel like I’m home. This year my tuxedo account won the trifecta of display. The” Jersey Boys” is opening next door at the Forrest theatre, Jerry Blavatt, Phillies local legend of music is conducting his bio-book signing in the store [Dick Clark wrote the forward] and it’s Christmas. What a handful that was.

 

                                                                                                                                                             The Geator

Take a look and of course it’s still not finished…..https://picasaweb.google.com/110585336863782076355/BlackTieChristmas2011#