Revolving Storefronts

With an expansive list of open retail space on their hands, perhaps landlords should take a hint from NYC's 303Grand and start thinking in the short-term to fill their spaces.

According to this post on PSFK's Retail blog, 303Grand is "a 'revolving storefront' operated by digital marketing agency Street Attack. There mission is to offer people, brands, artists and organizations the chance to create temporary and engaging retail environments on a limited budget or time commitment." Rentals can last from one day up to three months with rents starting at $300.

Short-term and low cost, this revolving storefront concept seems like the perfect answer to a variety of space needs, playing host to one-night-only events or even providing a launching pad for products or brands. And it also seems like a potentially profitable solutions for landlords with empty retail space on their hands.

What do you think about the revolving storefront concept? Leave your comments here.

Insight from The Ledge

Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of heights. I'm not deathly afraid by any means, but I do prefer to keep my feet as close to being "firmly planted" on the ground as I can get them. That said, as cool as The Ledge at the Skydeck of Chicago's Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) sounds, I would have a very hard time getting my two feet out on its glass-bottomed platform that hovers 103 stories above the street below.

I'm sure the views are breathtaking and the engineering is incredible, but what I found just as interesting was the story behind how The Ledge came to be: it started with some custodians complaining about having to clean forehead prints off the Skydeck's windows all the time. Talk about a creative solution to a pesky problem!

If you're thinking about re-energizing your retail locations with a new design, why not ask store employees what they like and don't like about the current design? Create more than just an attractive space, design a store that will help them do their jobs too.

A Store's Personality

Think stores don't have personality? Think again. Here's an entertaining post from over at the Retail Design Diva blog that compares stores to boyfriend types.

While very tongue-in-cheek, it proves a very important point: image is everything in retail. Are your stores giving off the right impression? Does your decor do your brand justice? If you aren't sure, you might just be selling your brand short.

This is why it's so important to show your brand personality when working on a store design. Show us "who" you are, tell us what kind of impression you want to make, and don't be afraid to let us designers know if we're missing the mark. Sure, "sleek and sexy" looks cool, but if you're really the boy or girl next door, that perfect match (i.e., your target customer) may walk right on by.

Back to Basics

When you're living in a Web2.0 world, it's all too easy to get caught up in the glitz and flash of the internet and the endless amount of tech tools available to businesses today. Social media and e-commerce are surely effective ways to reach customers, but if the recession's taught us anything, it's that the basics of business are even more important -- offering a quality product and great customer service for a fair price.

A short commentary, provided by Steve Strauss for USA Today, echoes that sentiment and then some. He even pits Smith and Wollensky Steakhouse against his local Outback Steakhouse to prove his point -- and Outback wins!

When asked about the secrets of his success, the owner of the local steakhouse offered:

• "'It's all about your people' - whether its customers or employees, helping them helps you.
• 'Make it local' - especially with a national franchise, but really with any business, [the owner] believes that contributing to local charities and participating in local community events creates connections which pay off for everybody.
• 'Business is a marathon, not a sprint' -- think long-term."

Normally here is where we would share our take on the subject, but Strauss pretty much sums it up for us:

"This idea, that old school business values, traditions and strategies, can still make a big difference in this e-world, makes a lot of sense. So often these days things like leveraging assets, social networking, e-commerce and branding are discussed so much that they may seem more important than traditional business factors like service, value, hard work, appreciation, courtesy and know-how.

But they are not."

Financial Freeze Starting to Thaw?

Over the past year or so, when talking with our franchise clients, one thing became painfully clear: the interest in franchising was high, but the franchisees were having one heck of time securing financing to launch their new businesses.

In recent months, however, we've been seeing signs of hope. So have a few of our clients, with some noting that more of their financing requests were being approved. Though not the case for everyone, it still comes as welcomed news of better days ahead.

Small Business Administration Chief Karen Mills has also seen "measurable progress" in getting financing to the nation's small businesses. Check our excerpts from her interview with Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal here.

Reading the comments to the article, it's clear that many are still critical/skeptical of the SBA's plans to stimulate financing and support for small businesses. What do you think of the SBA's efforts in recent months? Share your comments here.

Best of Greenville?

A lot of spam email flows through my inbox. Generally I don't give the title more than a passing glance before hitting the big, black X in my Outlook toolbar.

Today, one came through informing me that F.C. Dadson was the winner of the "Best of Greenville" award. Wow! Finally being recognized as the best of our modest town in northeastern Wisconsin by some sort-of official-looking association? It must be our lucky day.

Upon opening, here's what I found:

"I am pleased to announce that F.C. Dadson, Inc has been selected for the 2009 Best of Greenville Award in the Cabinets category by the US Commerce Association. In recognition of your achievement, a 2009 Best of Greenville Award has been designed for display at your place of business. You may arrange to have your award sent directly to F.C. Dadson, Inc by following the simple steps on the 2009 Best of Greenville Award order form."

So the US Commerce Association picked us as a Best of Greenville Award recipient in the "Cabinets" category? I'd have to agree with them. We do have some really nice cabinets around the office and we made them all ourselves. Double score!

But what's this about us having to ORDER our award? I thought we'd already won it. Now we have to purchase it too? Really?

While we think F.C. Dadson is the "Best of Greenville" in the Cabinets category, we'd prefer our satisfied customers spread the word:

"Great designs. Great customer service." -Samantha Lawhon, Messermeister

Ah, priceless.

Something That Can't Be Copied

As a designer, F.C. Dadson is accustomed to working with clients who have specific ideas for what they want their retail spaces to look and feel like. But what if the only requirement a client has is "give me a design that no one can copy?"

In this post from PSFK.com's Retail blog, we see how architecture firm took on just such a challenge and the space that resulted.

Would you find it more fun or frustrating to work on a project where the only request was "make it something that can't be copied?"