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| May 2005
Cover Focus | Older Boomers: Store Design In Focus Proper lighting allows older Boomers to see Ð and look Ð better in a store designed for easier shopping BY Ruth Mekkergard abd Sarah Yates At Summerwind Jewelry in Portsmouth, MA, Mel Reisz doesn’t believe in catering to a specific age group. Instead, he relies on experience and the knowledge gleaned from his years as a bench jeweler to thrill his clients by showing them what can be done with custom-designed jewelry. He listens, absorbs and adapts to customers’ whims. Still, customers who spend the most at Summerwind are between 40 and 60 years old. “I don’t believe in setting artificial age barriers for customers or staff,” says Reisz, store owner and goldsmith. “We have sales staff between 20 and 70 who share things with our customers from the standpoints of beauty and knowledge. My staff’s knowledge is one of my store’s most valuable resources. If we’re focused properly, I find we’re usually pretty successful.” In his new store, Reisz asked Keith Kovar of GRID/3 International, New York City, to make the store easier to shop for customers. He also wanted much better lighting. “Both of these are good retail design principles and, coincidentally, they also appeal to older Baby Boomers,” says Kovar. Combining Old With New Reisz bought a very old building in Portsmouth’s historic downtown core, just an hour north of Boston. He and Kovar worked to marry the existing materials such as old brick with newer materials such as tile, cherrywood and carpet to create a more contemporary look. The resulting combination of tradition and newness emphasizes Reisz’s years in the business and his commitment to contemporary design. To expand Summerwind’s narrow space, often less than 13 feet wide, ceiling beams from the 1850s were exposed, allowing for more height and keeping the space from feeling cramped. A curved bulkhead over the sit-down cases hides the mechanics of heat and air conditioning without compromising the finished look Reisz wanted. Seating is placed randomly throughout the shop. Comfort is critical. In appealing to the young-at-heart 50-plus consumer, sound vs. noise is a critical distinction. Many have already begun to have trouble with their hearing, and a cacophony of background sounds complicates the problem further. The solution: balance softer, more absorbent surfaces and textures with surfaces such as tile and brick to diffuse ambient sounds. Enable listeners to discern voices or soft music by using acoustic fabric on some walls. Bright Lights, Warm Glow Better, brighter lighting allows customers to see diamonds and colored gemstones with clarity. The store’s lighting also enhances customers’ appearances by using warmer incandescent fixtures in combination with whiter, brighter metal halide or fluorescent lighting for a complementary compromise. Kovar challenges the push for nostalgia in retail design. “If we did it before, do we really want to go back and do it again?” he asks. “I don’t see nostalgia for the Sixties and Seventies as a retail trend. In design, I only introduce certain retro elements because they produce an effect we are trying to get. Being one of those older Baby Boomers gives me the confidence to interpret our customers’ desires, tempered by my knowledge and experience as a retail designer. The unexpected combination of elements is, I hope, appealing to people of all ages.” Ruth Mellergard is a principal and Sarah Yates is director of marketing at GRID/3 International, New York City; (212) 273-9612, design@grid3.com, www.grid3.com.
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