Gene Juarez Downtown Seattle was a unique project, because it had four separate areas for retail. (A street level store, and three separate areas in the salon and spa waiting areas.)  The salon was designed as a service business and historically had a reputation of excellent customer and services.

The goal was to create a retail business and an environment that is conducive to serious retailing. We wanted to maximize the potential of all the retail areas, while complementing the existing busy salon.

The street level store had to allure consumers in to browse and shop, whereas the second floor retail areas focused on the existing salon and spa consumer. Therefore both areas are designed with different objectives.

The downstairs check-in desk is positioned at the rear of the retail area, with freestanding obstacles and illuminated wall units. This creates a journey for the consumer and it subliminally exposes them to a buying environment. There is a large light box at the back wall that helps drive consumers to the rear of the space. Illumination concentrates the consumer’s focus on the products, the same way as a bee makes a line for pollen. 

Light boxes above the wall unit identify a brand or a domain to make it.

The result of the design creates display units that reach out and captivate the consumer, and lighting enhances the products and focuses attention upon them. The display tables are carefully arranged so that the consumer visits them in a natural flow on the way to the check-in podium.

Aspirational themes, solutions and narratives provide the backbone for both the physical and visual presentation. For example, the shops of Donna Karen are not about fashion, but about an attitude of how women aspire to live.