Tin Lizzie
-- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 11/1/2000
Henry Ford Museum Store, Dearborn, Michigan
Merchandise Mix/Project Size: Collectibles, memorabilia, toys, educational tools, books, gifts, home accessories, and apparel. 3,600 square feet.
Target Customer: Museum visitors, neighborhood residents, and gift seekers.
Objective: The retail store was doubling in size and relocating to the new addition at the Henry Ford Museum. It had to reflect the legacy of the museum's history as well as the architectural integrity of the museum and the new Imax theater.
How Objective Was Accomplished: High-end collections of pottery and glass were positioned as the centerpiece of the floor plan. Bold archways with crown moldings divide the space or create entries to brightly colored alcoves containing different special merchandise categories.
Unique Characteristics: The home accessories area, Collections, features a sweeping architectural soffit that draws customers through the space. A one-of-a-kind chandelier crafted in the Greenfield Village Glass Foundry is positioned above the curving fixtures. Graphic elements, such as the playful Kids banners and Invent! mural, identify other departments and highlight special product offerings and special events.
Colors and Materials: The store's overall neutral palette, a creamy French vanilla, softens the edge of the formal architecture. The back wall has a luminous silver finish that subtly contrasts with the pewter merchandise and allows the brilliant color of the mouth-blown glass merchandise to shine. The whole store is encircled by a hand-painted cloud mural that utilizes wall surfaces too tall for product display. Bright splashes of floor color (for example, teal carpet in the kids' department and purple in the inventors' area) create pockets of energy.
Result: A showcase that can expand to meet the changing needs of the museum, the Imax theater exhibitions, and the merchandise selections.
