frame BORED?

Does an endless sea of frameboards make it difficult for your customers to distinguish the style that is right for them? We check in with industry design experts who serve up six inventive ideas to help you sort out a solution

BY ERINN MORGAN

When a customer sets out in your dispensary to locate the perfect pair of eyewear, there can be nothing more overwhelming than a plain, big wall of undistinguishable frames. "People don't like to see frameboard after frameboard—it's boring to see a whole wall of frames," says Ed Muehlberger, vice president and designer at Fashion Optical Displays.

This blur of merchandise will confuse the customer and make dispensing more difficult. "Sometimes there is a feeling that you have to show a lot of inventory, but often this just doesn't work," says Margaret Furman, vice president marketing at Magic Design. In fact, definition is the key to creating an inviting dispensary that makes life easier for both the customer and dispenser. Here, industry experts share six ways to divide and decorate.

Color, carpeting, and lighting contribute to the overall feel of the dispensary. These days, a dispensary with wall after wall of frameboards may leave clients uninspired. Images courtesy of Ennco Display Systems

CATEGORIZE AND DESIGNATE AREAS

1 Separate your merchandise by category and display it accordingly. "Display frames by gender, designer brand, function, etc.," says Furman. "Fill one section with your ladies' eyewear and then affix a print image of a female model in the latest eye fashion onto the back of the frameboard."

Glass shelves may replace frameboards for a fresh look. Image courtesy of Magic Designs

Get creative with your sectioning and play off your customer base's lifestyle interests, such as sports. Use actual lifestyle items to add a dynamic feel. "A sports eyewear display can easily be made to accommodate actual sports items such as golf balls and footballs," says Neil Freeman, regional manager at Eye Designs.

Freeman also suggests creating a lens center along your frameboard wall to really break things up. "This will not only help create a natural 'break point' but will also serve as an informational display to help the dispenser in explaining the various lens options available," he says.

PUT SIGNAGE INTO PLAY

2 Now that you have sectioned the dispensary's frameboard, it is time to further delineate with proper signage. "Be really clear and creative with your signage to identify men's, women's, kids', and any specialty sections," says Dacie Lewis, owner of Bright Display.

UPDATE TIP: Color trio
Ennco Display System's Jan Ennis recommends that dispensaries utilize three colors for the walls to create maximum visual impact:
	Main Walls A toned down and welcoming color
	Accent Wall A color that contrasts with the main walls' hue to add a sense of vibrancy and excitement
	High Light/Low Light A muted color on the wall where people leave and enter is the finishing touch for a full color palette in the dispensary

She suggests signage that attaches directly to the frameboard or additional signage above the frameboard on the wall. "It doesn't have to be a giant sign; even a little two-inch by five-inch sign is good," she says.

Many display companies offer targeted merchandising systems for dispensary signage.

"It is a complete merchandising system to label individual rows, frame bars, and sections," says Muehlberger. It can categorize frame sections for men, women, children, and sunwear.

Typically, there are options for signage and graphics holders that can show off photos or P.O.P. These packages range from $150 to $300.

CHANGE IT UP WITH PAINT

3 Changing the background paint color can help break up monotonous walls," says Furman.

Depending on decor and customer base, dispensers can choose colors from traditional blues and greens to contemporary hues like black, silver, red, and yellow.

Transitional colors that walk the line between contemporary and traditional are also popular, says Jan Ennis, president of Ennco Display Systems.

Paint color can also be useful in separating out a special area. "You may create a high-end frame area simply by painting the wall behind the display with an eye-catching and appealing color," says Furman.

Space between shelves makes product easy to track, as do frameboards that are organized and fitted with clear signage. Images courtesy of Fashion Optical Displays

REFRESH YOUR DISPLAYS

4 Customer boredom will occur if frameboards are left stagnant. "You will definitely sell more frames by focusing on the merchandising here—and even seasonal things like sunwear in the summer," says Muehlberger.

Mirrors in the frameboard area may reflect well on inventory and go a long way toward keeping the look fresh. Placed between frameboards, they brighten and separate displays. However, mirrors placed directly behind displays will duplicate the display, so Furman recommends checking for readability and clarity.

GO UPSCALE WITH GLASS SHELVES

5 If you are looking for an upscale theme, but have minimal funds to get the job done, consider paint.

"An inexpensive way to get rid of the frameboards and give it a little higher end look is to simply remove the frameboard, finish the wall that they were attached to in some pleasing color like warm, peach tones, and put in glass shelves," says Lewis.

The glass shelves can be put up on either acrylic or simple, standard metal brackets.

"The shelves should be about 10 to 12 inches deep and 14 to 16 inches apart," notes Lewis. "You can use that space to efficiently separate frames out, and it will be attractive. It's an easy way to make a dispensary look high end."

GO BIG: MAJOR OVERHAULS

6 For a more extensive, overall change to your decor, consider re-carpeting the entire space and putting in modern lighting.

If this all seems like too much, then consider a partial update.

Take down the old frameboards and install a mixture of new displays like shelving, frame panels, and wall-mounted cabinets. Ennis recommends using matching base cabinets underneath those panels to give a nice, clean, updated look. It also allows patients to take frames off the panels and have a place to set them down, while also providing storage.

"At least replace your old sections of frameboard," says Ennis. "You can add in the newer rods to the space to freshen it up." EB