Making It Work

Sorry about this one being a little late. I made it a little longer to make it up to you.

I know the feeling I get when I find that perfect pair shoes. It’s one of total excitement. I also know the feeling I get after finding out the store doesn’t have my size. That one’s of total disappointment…but only at first. Then determination sets in and I start asking for different sizes. These are the perfect shoes, remember? I’m going to make them fit.

I think the same can be said for retailers when they find that perfect location. Maybe the demographics are right-on or they’ve been looking to enter that market for a while. Perhaps the traffic volume is out of this world and they can’t pass up on the exposure. Whatever the reason, that is the spot, and even if the size is all wrong or the architecture is difficult, they are willing and determined to make it work.

Take Best Buy's Columbus Circle store in New York. The tri-level space presented interesting angles and a lease provision that the store project a more boutique-y image as opposed to the usual warehouse style we’re used to seeing from the retailer. The result was a cool urban loft aesthetic that ties together the luxury and eccentricity of a boutique with the existing Best Buy prototype kit.

Aerosole's 508 Broadway location is another example of a retailer who made it work to much success. Located in a historical district, the location came with strict exterior design guidelines. Not being able to make drastic modifications or use the usual signage presented a challenge, but the design team created something that reveres the district’s history on the outside yet takes the company a step forward inside.

Or how about those retailers who are building up and taking their concepts vertical? Multilevel stores are beneficial in saving on real estate costs, but they also give retailers new opportunities to expand in dense urban markets where sprawling spaces simply don’t exist.

Now, I know that not all of the “perfect shoes” that I stumble upon are going to work out. Occasionally, my feet throw up too big a protest at being stuffed into such a tiny shoe. Some times a location just won’t work and you’ll have to pass. However, the key is to not be afraid to check out something that is a little less than ideal. These retailers prove that every once in a while, if you’re up to the challenge, you can make it work.