Have a Seat

INSTORE

Have a Seat

Written by Paul Holewa Saturday, 26 July 2008 13:04

GROUP SOME CHAIRS, A SMALL TABLE, and voila! you have a sitting area. If only it were this easy. Sitting areas need to stand out as a place to relax while being in the thick of the showroom hub. Furniture must also be sturdy enough to serve a multitude of purposes yet plush enough to evoke luxury. But they can’t be too cushy, or complacent customers might lose that connection with the store’s merchandise. The sitting area also needs to be multifunctional. In addition to its primary purpose, it must also be a place where couples or staff can discuss a jewelry purchase or where kids can play. Chairs may be the central and obvious component to a sitting area, but careful table choices help keep the space open, an important aspect to creating a relaxing and inviting sitting area much like your living room at home. — PAUL HOLEWA

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CHAIRS OVER SOFAS. Space is always an issue in retail environments. Loveseats and small sofas tend to take up more space than individual chairs. And, people like the defined space an individual chair offers.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL. Sitting areas aren’t just for sitting. These areas can be impromptu meeting areas between a sales associate and a customer or for couples. Make sure sitting areas are arranged in such a way that they are conducive to such face-to-face discussions.

EXPRESS YOURSELF. If a store has a subdued or neutral color scheme, the sitting area is a place where store owners can cut loose a little with personal touches. “In your home it’s much like the bathroom,” says Ruth Mellergaard, principal of retail design firm GRID/3. “It’s an area that’s set off from the rest of the place, where the store owner’s personality can take form.”

TABLE FABLE. Sitting areas require a place to set items down, but avoid using space-sucking coffee tables. “They take up a lot of space and reduce the openness of the area,” says Mellergaard. “Use small tables between individual chairs or end tables on the side of the chairs to maintain the area’s openness.”

POSITIONING. Strike a balance in the placement of the sitting area. It should be set off enough so people can have some quiet time or discuss things in private. But, it’s important to “keep them in the action,” suggests Mellergaard. “If the sitting area is too set off or set apart from the store, the customer loses that connection with the product.”

EXECUTION. In keeping that connection with the product, the sitting area can be set apart from the rest of the store with flooring choices. A small carpeted portion of the showroom floor establishes a textural and visual separation from the wood flooring. Area rugs can do the same job, “but be careful that these area rugs don’t slip,” warns Mellergaard. “Tack them down to avoid slips or falls.”

CASE STUDY

DAVID GARDNER'S JEWELERS
COLLEGE STATION, TX
When Julia Gardner talks about her store, the word “funky” comes up a lot. Her funky chairs are what make the sitting area a separate entity in a small cove near the front of the store. This is one of three customer spaces in the store. It is meant for the girls, with feminine touches like the color choice and a swivel feature for easy dismounts. Fresh color-coordinated flowers in a vase are an added touch. Beverage services are nearby in an understated service bar. Atop the bar is a 24-by-24-inch tabletop Duratrans that highlights designs from the store’s many designer names with rich images.

COOPER JEWELERS
WARREN, NJ
Store owner and jewelry designer Sheila Pei created a sitting area with custom-made extra large chairs. “The size is unique, making them more comfortable for people,” Pei says. “I also like the 1960s look, which is in now as part of a retro revival.” Unique light fixtures with tassels show an Asian feel that’s in line with Pei’s Chinese heritage. A marble fireplace adds warmth and luxury to the space. And, rich regal-colored purple curtains are tied in to the chairs’ purple cushions. Square ottomans can be moved to create additional seating.

THE GEM GALLERY
RENO, NV
When Tim Ottman doubled his space last year with a move to a new store, he did what most guys would do with 3,500 square feet: He put in a bar. Directly across from the brushed stainless steel and wrought-iron bar are two orange leather chairs. A small table made with the purple of an amethyst geode adds to the area’s color scheme. A 52-inch plasma TV plays on such varying topics as gem adventure, custom jewelry-making and Antwerp’s Diamond Mile. Mounted on a heavy-duty swivel arm, the TV can face the sales floor to play Christmas videos and big games.

BERNIE ROBBINS FINE JEWELERS
SHORT HILLS, NJ
Bernie Robbins has four chairs surrounding a table, centrally located in the store with comfort and luxury in mind. A change in flooring sets apart the sitting area from the rest of the store. The beverage service area is nearby, so customers can sip and sit or read magazines. “We’ve found that couples like to use the sitting area to talk over a purchase,” says Stacey Graham, director of public relations and special events. “We also have seen older kids, from 6 to 10 years of age, leave the children’s room and use the sitting area for drawing pictures.”

SATHER'S LEADING JEWELERS
FORT COLLINS, CO
Julie Sather-Browne, vice president of Sather’s, created a feel that is rustic but one which never lets you think you’re in a lodge. A flush-set fireplace is flanked by inset cases. A plasma TV adds to the store’s own brand of refined elegance. And, the store’s 30-foot-high ceilings drop down to 12 feet, which helps set the sitting area and the neighboring kids’ room apart from the rest of the store.

SIGNATURE JEWELERS
LEBANON, TN
Signature Jewelers’ sitting area combines individual chairs and a loveseat done in beige and brown. The sitting area is located between the kids’ room and the bench-jewelers’ shop. “Some customers don’t like leaving jewelry, so we try to make the wait for repairs or custom work as comfortable as possible,” says Signature Jewelers’ president, Shawn Smith.

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