The Store Next Door
By Pamela Brill -- Gifts and Dec, 3/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
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| The Gallery is true to its roots: it was founded in 1955 to sell local pottery. |
Sometimes a neighbor going out of business can be an opportunity waiting to happen. When Crandall's Jewelers, Alfred, NY, closed its doors in 2005, its neighboring gift store The Gallery seized the chance to redesign its second-floor children's department and expand its 1,400 square feet of selling space.
"It was a charming location, but it was difficult for moms with small children to climb the spiral staircase," said Amanda Burns, manager of The Gallery.
Burns also began to notice more families moving into the area, so it only seemed natural to transform the new space into a revamped children's room.
Color Coordinates
Selecting the proper color palette was the first order of business. "I did not want to have the walls compete for attention — only enhance the merchandise," she explained. After perusing design catalogs and paint chips, Burns consulted with her sister/painter Amy. The duo settled on a Pottery Barn-influenced green and blue with darker blue accents and off-white moldings. Fluffy white clouds painted on the ceiling were meant "to make the room feel like you were walking into a storybook," added Burns.
A Narrow Escape
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| The new baby area makes use of a narrow space. |
The layout posed a further challenge. "I needed to find a way to incorporate a smooth flow without pushing everything up against the wall with an empty cavern in the middle of the room," said Burns.
She recreated the floor plan, measuring everything from the structure and placement of windows to display fixtures. Working with a limited budget, Burns turned an old shelving unit into two new ones painted with leftover trim paint. She found a vintage crib to showcase baby rompers, and positioned it in a narrower section of the store. A built-in on the opposite wall housed silver cups, spoons and other high-end baby gifts.
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| The princess section centers on a recycled dollhouse. |
A princess-themed section features a large dollhouse that belonged to the owner's daughter, a small side table from Burns' first apartment, a tea table and a kid-sized day bed made of wood salvaged from past projects. For a boys' section, Burns opted for unfinished wood shelving units, tables and crates to create the feel of a tree house, "something every little boy loves."
This project proved to be a valuable experience for Burns. "We may be a small store, but small stores, even with very limited visual merchandising budgets, can create wonderful, imaginative displays."
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