Homescapes Carmel at Carmel Plaza
Bessie Nestoras -- Gifts and Dec, 8/6/2011 6:43:10 AM
Homescapes Carmel is no stranger to Gifts & Decorative Accessories' Retailer Excellence Awards. The California retailer has been both a finalist and a winner since it first opened its doors in 1996. But, this successful store is also no stranger to challenges.
In 2006, after being in business for 10 years, plans were submitted to redevelop the store's site, but were met with opposition from preservationists who believed the building to be architecturally significant. The ensuing reaction from the community greatly impacted the store's sales and reputation. Owner Thompson Lange toughed it out for a while, but in 2008 decided it was time to leave the building altogether and closed the doors on his 3,500 sq.-ft. store.
"Whatever move we made, we needed to counter any negative perception the community might have about such a move. To keep our brand alive, our first step was to open a garden store, Homescapes Home & Garden, in the nearby Barnyard Shopping Village," explained Lange. "We gave the community the impression that we were expanding into the faltering economy rather than contracting, contracting being our assumption when we moved the furnishings side of the business to a new location," he continued.
Growth Spurt 
Just one year after opening Homescapes Home & Garden, Lange set forth on a new adventure - Homescapes Carmel at Carmel Plaza. All of the hard work that was put into opening Homescapes Home & Garden in May 2009 caught the att ention of the management of downtown Carmel's Carmel Plaza, who wanted Lange to renovate and take over the former Saks Fift h Avenue Men's Store - which housed 12,000 sq. ft . of retail space that had been vacant for five years.
"Knowing the amount of time it would take to do the construction, we began contracting the home furnishings side of the business with a move out date planned for the end of 2009. When we moved from the downtown location, our landlords at the Barnyard asked us to furnish several vacant storefronts and display areas in the center. We also maintained a 4,500 sq.-ft. warehouse/annex in the Shopping Village," explained Lange, who still runs the 1,900 sq.-ft. Homescapes Home & Garden.
An Eco-friendly Approach
Lange turned to ArchWorks architecture firm and Level5 Construction to begin work on the new location turning it into a wide, open, lightfilled space with a 12'x12' living wall and waterwalls from Bluworld Fountains. "In keeping with our product lines of eco-friendly furnishings, accessories and plants, we built Homescapes Carmel at Carmel Plaza to a LEED certified standard with LED lights and no-to-low VOC finishes, and recycled all debris removed during the renovation," explained Lange. New windows that were locally crafted from Honduran mahogany were added; they stretch the length of the façade facing into the Plaza's courtyard. The Mondrian design was inspired by the Assouline Book Corner in the store.
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In addition, Lange added a design studio and is partnering with Scheid Vineyards, in Monterey County, to open a Tasting Room for wine tasting and evening events.
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It Takes a Community
Oct 21, 2010
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