Elizabeth W
Gift Store Design/Redesign Finalist
Pamela Brill -- Gifts and Dec, 8/21/2010 3:59:33 AM
How does a former glass and crystal shop become the face of a new high-end bath, body and home fragrance boutique? With a complete make over, of course. Such is the success story of elizabethW, a San Francisco-based personal care manufacturer, which became a destination retailer practically by accident.
"We were not looking to open a retail store," confesses co-owner Michael Lindsay. The company, which is a wholesale supplier to such merchants as Saks, Neiman Marcus, Anthropologie and other specialty gift shops, was suddenly ready for something more. "Retail rents in Union Square, the heart of the city, were prohibitive, so we had to put the dream of a store behind us," he tells
Gifts & Decorative Accessories.
Then, a unique opportunity struck. Lindsay had a serendipitous encounter with the owner of a luxury timeshare housed inside Ghirardelli Square who was desperately trying to find a tenant for one of the retail shops. He decided to seize the moment and after signing a short term lease, Lindsay hurried off to Ikea to purchase shelving.
Meanwhile, Lindsay's partner and company founder Albert Nichols began transforming the 600square feet of space, which Lindsay describes as "very tired: dull gray floor, completely inadequate lighting, leaky roof ... the quint essential fixer upper." Nichols painted the walls a lime green, washed the floors and measured the windows.
With shelving for the Elizabeth W bath and body collection in place and most of the merchandise on display, Nichols began laminating the company logo across the windows. "With no time to order sign age, this was a fantastic, effective and inexpensive way to brand our name onto the storefront," adds Lindsay.
After the finishing touches were added, elizabethW was open for business the following day. The duo used their old Macintosh as their POS system. Nichols rewrote their wholesale database to reflect retail pricing, and they dug up their credit card machine from their trade show days. "We created a unique, original, refreshing space with minimal time, minimal expense and maximum effort," enthuses Lindsay.
One year later, the store has blossomed into a full-fledged shop with distinct areas: Closet Solutions where customers can browse drawer liners, hanger sachets and other similar items; Bath and Body where all 10elizabethW scents are displayed; and the Home section which show cases soy candles, room sprays and perfume for home diffusers.
Lindsay credits the store for enabling them to add and change items designed in their workshop. For Valentine's Day, elizabethW displayed fizz hearts and for Easter, it was lavender bunnies.
If there's one thing Lindsay say she's learned through this incredible process, it's that perfection isn't necessary. "The lighting remains inadequate, the roof still leaks...and kids tell us our old Mac should be in a museum. But the store became profitable in its first month and the customers absolutely love its look and feel. They don't want us to change a thing," he concludes. - Pamela Brill
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