STORE DESIGN
Divine Redesign
Seven tips for sprucing up your retail environment on a shoestring
By Erinn Morgan

Is your dispensary looking a little tired? Are you lacking colorful displays and exciting presentations to draw your customers in? Perhaps limited funds for a full-blown redesign have stopped you from making any changes. According to a number of interior design experts, even simple and inexpensive changes to your environment can make a huge difference in atmosphere as well as the success of your optical business.

Simple, clean lines and an uncluttered dispensary are keys to success. Photo by Ennco.

"What you want to know is what is hurting your business the most in terms of your store design," says Sandy Bright, owner and president of Bright Displays, a display and remodeling company out of Woodenville, Wash. "Can�t tell the insurance frames from the designer frames? Lacking in good sunglass displays? Still using a fishing line display system? Take care of it because it�s really important not to have bad sections in the dispensary."

Pinpointing spots which require some attention is critical, yet there are likely areas that you may not even be aware of as problematic. Here, we present the top seven tips offered up by the optical industry�s interior design experts for giving your dispensary a partial facelift on the cheap.

Surprisingly, it may be the small details that are making your retail space look dowdy. The experts� most crucial piece of advice: Keep it clean. "If you�ve got displays that are really old," says Bright, "buy some furniture polish or Windex and clean them." She also recommends washing all silk flowers or plants with soap and water. "And if you can�t afford to paint your walls, wash them," she says.

Other quick, basically simple fixes that can make a dramatic difference in your dispensary include refinishing or reupholstering your furniture, shampooing your carpet, adding details like pitchers of colorful candy, and strategically placed mirrors which can expand your visual depth and space.

"Lighting is also a cheaper way to update," says Margaret Furman, color consultant/designer at San Francisco-based Magic Designs, an interior design firm for the optical industry. "By carefully selecting the right lighting, you can even use less of it."

Finally, many suggest asking a professional interior designer�s advice�and they say it can be less expensive than you might think. "An interior design person would suggest a more appropriate color or finish for the store and their consultation fee would probably not be more than $100," says Patricia Hart McMillan, author of the book "Home Decorating for Dummies" and an interior design consultant based in Palm Beach County, Fla.

"I just talked to somebody who is still using fishing line displays," says Bright. This old-school, low-cost method of showing frames consists of two fishing lines strung along a wall at a distance so that the frames can rest on them. "The problem with this system is that every time you put one frame down it flips another other one off the fishing line�it is very unstable."

There are many display options out there�just about any interior design company that caters to the optical industry offers a variety of choices. However, some suggest that glass shelves are the most efficient and cost-effective.

"You can completely change the whole interior quickly with glass shelves pretty inexpensively," says Bright. An estimated cost for four 12"x36" shelves plus brackets and pedestals on which to display the frames is just under $500. Considering you can place about 200 to 300 frames (depending on P-O-P used and amount of open space you desire) there, it is a relatively inexpensive way to showcase your merchandise.

3. Reduce The Clutter

Look around. Do you see a medley of countercards, plaques, posters, and promotional items scattered throughout your space? The experts suggest you go through your dispensary with a fine-tooth comb and decide which point-of-purchase items are dispensable.

"People seem to feel obligated to put all the P-O-P they receive up in the dispensary up," says Justine Krefft, interior designer at Ennco, based in Redmond, Wash. "It gets too cluttered. Go through and take a lot of it out�you can make it cleaner and brighter and takes only a little bit of time."

One other piece of advice is make sure that the P-O-P you do choose to utilize is uniform. For example, Furman suggests taking all your posters and making them look the same by putting them in the same frame and matting them nicely.

Even the status of the reception desk can make a huge difference. "Look at what the customer is looking at while you are getting their paperwork together," says Furman. "If they see a very messy desk, that�s not good. You can put a very nice print or a graphic presentation of the name of the dispensary up behind the desk to keep the focus there."

	Before (top) and after (bottom) shots show what simple props and pedestals can do. Photo by Bright Displays.

4. ADD A NEW SHOWCASE

If your budget allows for something a bit more substantial, then the pros suggest a new frame showcase to highlight your retail area.

Some suggest placing it in the waiting area so that customers can be actively looking at frames instead of passively flipping through magazines. "With this you can turn the waiting area into an active merchandise area," says Furman.

5. CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE

Visual merchandising is truly an art form�which you can master yourself for a low cost. The interior design experts suggest getting some fresh decorations in the dispensary�which can be easy, fun, and inexpensive.

"Pier1 Imports has some great seasonal items for under $200 which can totally do up your dispensary," says Ennco�s Krefft. "Get some countertop displays and add merchandising items around to add color and excitement to the area."

6. PAINT

Glass showcases and shelving put the focus on special frames. Photos by Eye Designs.

It is simple, fast, and you can do it yourself. The effects are instantaneous and impactful. A fresh coat of paint goes a long way to updating your dispensary�s image.

"Paint is a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to apply color," says McMillan. "And the options are so different today. A number of manufacturers are creating paints that are very complex�richer looking but not appreciably more expensive."

If you currently have wallpaper in the dispensary and it is looking a little tired�particularly if it�s a pattern�McMillan suggests using an "aging" coating made by Ralph Lauren paints to update the look�a process used by the French for centuries. "It creates a stain over the paper," she says. "Either the antiqued or tea-stain coatings are appropriate if you have darker style paper."

7. FAKE IT

One final bit of advice from the experts: It�s okay to do it piece by piece. A little change can actually make a huge difference and can actually "fake" a redesign.