Up Against the Wall
Basic wood or glass shelving can do wonders to boost energy and sales in your store.
By Linda Cahan -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 8/1/2004
Your store's walls are the blank canvas where you "paint" the important stories that help sell the bulk of your merchandise. Because they are so vital to business, there's always a degree of agonizing by retailers over how to fixture and decorate store walls.
The slatwall debate rages on — at least in the hearts and minds of store designers and visual merchandisers. Our position is clear: we hate the stuff! We will do anything to avoid putting it in a store. Basic shelving is far preferable to those monotonous horizontal lines holding up glass shelves.
However, many storeowners love slatwall for its versatility. C'est la vie. If you do choose to use slatwall, however, use it in small areas just for hanging items.
Also, install slatwall made of wood so that you can change the color when you renovate your store. Don't be hampered in your color choices by slatwall that's been laminated in dove gray, tan, off white or taupe. Such colors can kill any chance of fulfilling your daring decor dreams.
There are, of course, a lot of great ways to decorate your walls without ever resorting to slatwall. Here are some examples of stores that use basic wood or glass shelving , achieving excellence through their choice of merchandise, wall texture, and color and display.
| Author Information |
| Linda Cahan is a retail visual design consultant based in Redding, Connecticut. She works with retailers on store design, renovations, and visual programs. She also writes visual standards manuals and lectures on visual merchandising around the world. |
