At Fixture Lab, we get this question all the time: “We are remodeling our store and we could use some help, but I don’t really know what you guys actually do in the process. What do you do?” So, as we were looking at our photos of The Hub, we got to thinking that this would be an ideal opportunity to show off the new store AND help everyone understand the things we typically do in the store design/remodeling process.
Check out the video. Inside you’ll see nicely handled examples of these common things we address:
Creating great storytelling opportunities in your store
Great store flow design
Specifying and using standard and custom Fixture Lab fixtures
Service, cash wrap and bar counter design and fabrication
Choosing paint and other finishes, including tasty wood wall textures
Custom bike displays
Adding local flavor to the space
Custom graphics and signage (interior and exterior) including fun items like neon signs
New concept for a “cash wrap” transaction counter
Designing and utilizing sexy, effective lighting
You will love this tour, so pop some popcorn and your beverage of choice, and have fun!
How painting the ceiling can help to upgrade the store and focus the shopper’s attention on the product below.
Over the years, we have recommended painting the ceiling to a lot of stores. Sometimes the ceiling in a store is messy, dirty or distracting because there are so many colors going on up there.
A lot of the time the ceiling is just painted white (or some other light color) and the net effect is unoffensive…but uninspired.
If the ceiling was painted a light color it’s usually because the store was afraid that a darker color would feel heavy, or subtract from the light in the space.
What we have found is almost exactly the opposite impact.
Before: Richardson Bike Mart
Three things a darker ceiling does for your store:
Gives your eye less to look at overhead, thus drawing your eye down below to the product on display
Improves the contrast in the product’s reflective surfaces, making it prettier looking
Creates visual definition between the ceiling and the space below which helps to define the shape and depth of the space
Case study: Richardson Bike Mart, Richardson Texas
Richardson Bike Mart is a big store. A real big store. Making the decision to paint 18,000 square feet of ceiling that’s 21 to 25 feet high was no small decision.
Our strategy for the whole store remodel has been to turn from the feel of an overwhelmingly large warehouse, to a more modern, more inspired, more approachable space.
Certainly painting the ceiling alone isn’t going to change everything, but it is a big and very impactful move. We are also relighting the space, creating much better storytelling opportunities throughout, and reducing clutter and visual distraction overall. All these things together are going to really make for a remarkable update to this venerable store!
Even half-done, the darker ceiling already gives the eye a much-needed rest.
“We have a 22-year-old building with 25 ft ceilings that haven’t been renovated since we moved in it. The goal was to get bikes off our tall ceilings and for the store to look more like modern-day retail stores and less of a warehouse look. I was listening to an NBDA Podcast with Brian Hawkins and invited him to Dallas to show him our challenges and he gave us a dynamic plan that we are starting now. Part of that plan was painting our white ceiling a dark grey color. I was reluctant to do it because of the price. It was north of $30,000+. Painting the ceiling just didn’t seem like a good return on our money. Long story short, I went to REI, lululemon, and others and they all had a dark or black ceiling. I was shocked that the darker color didn’t draw my eyes to the ceiling at all. It was like there was no ceiling. All I saw was the product. I have no regrets we did it and it works!”
The updated, modernized ceiling at Richardson Bike Mart
If you’re curious about learning simple, yet profoundly impactful tactics to improve your store’s design and in turn, your sales, you need to listen to the exact webinar by Brian Hawkins here…the webinar that inspired Woody Smith to modernize his humungous, outdated bike shop through the help and planning of Fixture Lab.
Looking for help with re-designing your store? Contact us here or give us a call 303-777-2014. We’d love to help create your dream store.
If you are an NBDA member you need to know about this fun Webinar
How’s an independent retail store supposed to compete with the big guys these days? How can I make my own store as engaging as the national brands/stores? And how the heck can I make my store’s brand stand out without spending zillions of dollars? If you’re asking questions like these, this webinar is just what the doctor ordered for you! In this fun presentation Brian Hawkins (the leader of Fixture Lab), will take us through a treasure trove of retail store design tips and best practices that the leaders in retail use every day. It’ll be like getting the keys to unlock the store you’ve been dreaming about.
We are very excited to announce our latest! Blazing Saddles called us when they decided to open a retail store alongside their new bike rental location in Sonoma, California.
Getting a chance to help a veteran bike rental organization with a new retail store.
You might know Blazing Saddles already, because they run an amazing business in San Francisco renting bikes to about a billion people a day. When you are around San Fran, you can’t miss the droves of happy people on Blazing Saddles bikes. Their operation is seriously impressive, so when they called and said that they wanted help designing and implementing the retail & rental store in Sonoma, we were like, “Oh hell yea!”
We were able to pretty much help with every aspect of the new store…floor plan, fixtures, graphics, signage, merchandising, etc. We even installed one of those Sonos sound systems that you might have read about in our previous blog post. By the way, see those fixtures? The Blazing Saddles team wanted a look of their own, so we produced all the fixtures in their own dark grey paint color. They look really great!
We could not have had a better time working with the awesome team at Blazing Saddles! If you are in the area, make sure you stop by and say “Hi”
What does a bike shop have to do with a KFC restaurant?
The other day I happened to find myself in a KFC restaurant. As I was looking around the space, it dawned on me that they had done a really nice job with a number of things that we always encourage bike shop stores to consider. So I thought, “Hey, why not share them?” As you look, ask yourself, “If the average KFC store can do these things right, what prevents me from doing them too?”
Have fun reading, and stay tuned because at the end, I’ll give you a link to download a PDF.
Want to save and share these ideas?
As promised, here is a link to a PDF of these tips.
We are always looking for great lighting solutions for all the stores we work on. Recently, we uncovered this really great ceiling light that works great for a dressing room. And the bonus, it’s only $69.95.
A few words about lighting a dressing room:
Your goal when lighting a dressing room is easy: Make the customer look like a million bucks. Certainly the size of the room, the colors, and the finishes have a lot to do with you hitting your goal. Great lighting however, is one of the very best investments in your plan. It’s easy too! It really makes you wonder why so many retailers, big and small, get the lighting part so wrong.
In a nutshell, you need two basic lights in the dressing room to make the customer look great.
A nice soft overhead light
Lights that illuminate the front of the subject in the room. We are going to do a whole separate post about these lights, so stay tuned.
Attributes of a great overhead light:
The light should be diffused or indirect…not direct spot lights that cast dramatic shadows. Pretty much, the softer the light the better.
The right color temperature is important. The most flattering light for skin tones and clothing is around 3000k.
The style of the light should compliment the room.
It sure doesn’t hurt if the light is inexpensive, am I right?!
Introducing the “Drum Flush Mount Light” from CB2:
1. The simple and clean design allows it to fit into almost any design plan.
2. The overall size of the shade (19.75″Wx19.75″Dx6″H) is pretty big, which does a great job of spreading out the light. The diffuser on the light softens and makes the light pretty.
3. It uses two standard bulbs (up to 60W incandescent or equivalent LED or CFL), which makes dialing in the exact amount of light real easy, and swapping out lamps later simple.
4. Did we mention it is only $69.95?
What are you waiting for?
If your dressing room needs a little shot in the arm, hop on over to CB2 and order one up! Click here to see it!
CB2 also makes a “oversized drum flush mount light” which is a huge 34″ across. If you have a larger room, that could be just what the doctor ordered! Check it out
The first person to send us before and after photos will get a social media shout out….and perhaps a little surprise from us! Aren’t you dying to find out what that might be?!
Getting a chance to help a veteran bike rental organization with a new retail store.
