Arts & Crafts Revisited
Fine craftsmanship and good design highlight a new addition to the Henry Ford
By Quinn Halford -- Gifts and Dec, 8/1/2005 12:00:00 AM
The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan is a “history destination” featuring five different attractions: the Henry Ford Museum, the Ford Rouge Factory, the Benson Ford Research Center, an IMAX theater, and the 90-acre Greenfield Village, a nostalgic re-creation of early America. Liberty Craftworks, a new historic district in Greenfield Village, highlights craftspeople plying their skills in glassware, pottery, metal works of art, jewelry, and home accessories. The finishing touch, of course, would be a gift store. And that's where the Liberty Craftworks Store comes in.
In 2004, at the request of the Henry Ford people, architectural firm JGA Inc. (a regular award winner in G&DA's REA competition) put its team, headed by creative director Michael Curtis, to work updating Greenfield Village with an emphasis on developing new shopping experiences. The Liberty Craftworks Store would be part of an entrance portal leading to the Craftworks district, one of four retail venues in the district.
Arts & crafts movement
The building's style, as executed by JGA, is inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, a late 19th century aesthetic movement started by British architect William Morris, who eschewed the Victorian opulence popular at the time in favor of simplicity, fine craftsmanship, and good design. The photos on these pages show the unmistakable Arts and Crafts style, with its emphasis on natural materials such as stone, brick, tile, and wood.
The inviting covered walkway of the entrance features a large display window that opens onto the retail store. Wood mullions frame the multiple panes of glass creating a large grid, and the whole walkway is enhanced by tile murals depicting early crafts. Glass shelves showcasing glistening glassware line the store's interior window, adding color and brightness to the passageway at night. During the day, the glassware is washed in natural light.
'Residential' interior
The 1,550-square-foot interior of the store has a decidedly residential feel to it, thanks again to the use of natural materials. The cathedral-style ceiling is accented with wooden beams, and accentuates the openness of the space. Custom-built hexagonal and square display tables made of cherry and red mahogany encourage “layering” to provide more interesting display options. Cabinets, wall-mounted wooden shelves, and recessed niches offer other merchandising choices.
Porcelain tile inset with carpeting breaks the store into “product zones,” while a color palette of moss and goldenrod is warm, light, and in keeping with the overall ambience. Reproduction chandeliers add a note of authenticity to the store's interior.
Range of products
All products in the Liberty Craftworks store are American made handicrafts, in prices ranging from as little as $2.50 to upwards of $135. Some of the pottery and glassware is made by artisans in Greenfield Village; other merchandise is sourced at shows such as Philadelphia's Buyers Market of American Craft.
Buying one-of-a-kind pieces was a learning process for Terri Anderson, director of retail sales and product development for Greenfield Village's nine stores. “You can't just order and have it delivered the next week,” she says. Now that the Liberty Craftworks Store has been open a year, there's been a shift in product presentations, as buying patterns adjust to the output of artisans and craftspeople.
Reactions to the new store have been “fabulous,” according to Anderson. People appreciate the upscale design, which works very well within the concept of historical ambience. Sales of around $300,000 during the first year have pleased Anderson, who notes that the store's customers also pay an admission fee to enter the Henry Ford.
The materials, the design, and, above all, the craftsmanship of the Liberty Craftworks Store beautifully supports and enhances the product the store offers, and customers can admire both, though only the crafts are for sale. Few gift shops can say they serve the merchandise and the shopping experience so well, which is the reason Gifts & Decorative Accessories has chosen the Liberty Craftworks store as a 2005 REA finalist for Store Design.
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