Seldom do the design for a new store and the owners' visual merchandising concepts blend as well as they do at Artezen, the 2004 Gold Award winner for Visual Merchandising. Although Artezen entered in the Store Design category — and certainly would have been a finalist — the judging panel was taken by the overall impression created by this jewel of a shop. Beautifully highlighted in display merchandisers that are an organic part of the minimalist design setting, home accessories and gifts take center stage at Artezen, making a persuasive statement about great visual merchandising.

It comes as no surprise that the vision behind this 1,500-square-foot store in Bloomington, Illinois, came from two professional graphic designers: storeowners Melanie Ginavan and Eric Shellito. Located in an historic section of Bloomington's downtown, an area beginning to bustle with boutiques and artists' studios, the space Melanie and Eric took over — a "bowling alley" footprint with 14-foot ceilings in a century-old building — required a complete gutting.

A dropped ceiling was torn down to reveal the original, pressed-tin ceiling and a skylight at the back of store, which was re-glazed. New ceiling ductwork was left exposed to add to the "loft" feel of the store. Brick walls were sandblasted and sealed, and new drywall was painted bright white to show off merchandise and contrast with the red bricks. In addition, two drywall sections were painted Artezen's accent color — bright red.

Old flooring was replaced with yellow birchwood in the main showroom, and ceramic tiles on a rear elevated area. The high ceilings allowed Melanie and Eric to create a small lofted office, built over the basement stairwell, which takes up no selling space and offers a bird's-eye view of the store.

Modern retailing requires a lot of light — a commodity in short supply at Artezen's location. Melanie and Eric solved the problem by first painting the tin ceiling white, then installing hidden fluorescent uplighting on the walls, ten feet above the floor. Recessed can lighting and dropped track lighting were also added throughout the store. Natural light was greatly enhanced by tearing out the store's facade and replacing it with a 14-foot, insulated window wall. The grid pattern of the glass panels complements the modern design aesthetic of the store's image, enhanced by a "Mondrian-like" red panel added to one of the window panels.

With the remodeling complete, Melissa and Eric finally had the canvas to apply their own "paints" — in this case, bath and beauty products, candles, tabletop, and kitchen, wine, and entertaining accessories. Fixturing was the next step, and, fortunately, the pair had an inside track: Melissa's father, Stuart, is a woodworker. Over a three-month period, Stuart custom-built all the merchandisers using hardwood that is dyed black to provide an effective background for the product. Large, adjustable shelving units contain storage below with open backs that allow the handsome brick walls to remain visible. The shelving can also be placed perpendicular to the walls to create merchandising vignettes. Three-foot-square tables are placed down the length of the space and can be moved to accommodate display requirements.

(Our visual merchandising columnist, Linda Cahan, featured some of Artezen's table displays in her June 2004 column.)

Conscious that modern design is often considered "cold" or "stark," Artezen concentrates on including natural elements and textures such as bamboo, stones, real flowers, and high-quality faux botanicals in its displays. Fresh flowers provided by a local merchant also serve as an advertising vehicle for the florist. In fact, customers often ask to buy the decorative elements along with their products.

"It became necessary to stock many of our artificial plants for resale," says Melanie. "There's no doubt that the use of botanicals helps increase sales of many other items."

When Artezen opened its doors on April 5, 2003, Melanie and Eric weren't sure what to expect in this conservative town with no other shop offering the same range of merchandise as their "metropolitan boutique." They set their first year sales goal at $114,000. However, after 12 months, they had tallied $177,000, a 55 percent increase over their estimate.

Equally important, Artezen is quickly becoming a destination shop for area customers. During the planning stages, Melanie and Eric went to larger cities to study the kind of shop they wanted to open. Now, according to Melanie, Bloomington customers often remark on the "Chicago-style" feel of Artezen.

There is nothing "small town" about the execution of store design and visual merchandising that this pair of graphic artists has accomplished. Their lessons would suit any retailer in any location.