Eileen McClelland

Tips on Working with Your Chosen Store Designer

Published

10 years ago

March 10, 2015

Eileen McClelland

Each year as we near the deadline for entering the America’s Coolest Stores contest, my thoughts often turn to the process of designing and creating those cool stores.

If you haven’t entered, it’s not too late. The deadline is March 15 and the application can be found at americascooleststores.com.

Appropriately, the subject of April’s Category Focus section of INSTORE is how to choose a store designer.

If you’re in the process of considering a renovation, expansion, or brand new store, here are additional tips provided by Stephanie Wilson Maxey, consulting designer based in Jacksonville, FL, about how best to work with your chosen store designer.

Before hiring a designer for your new store, expansion, or renovation, do your homework, Maxey advises.

Establish a visual theme or a design concept to enable the designer to further expand on your ideas by researching various interior styles on the Internet or in magazines.

First consider if the interior is to be trendy, traditional, contemporary or transitional.

“I’ve had clients send me photos of restaurant interiors to adapt to specific areas of their store design,” she says. They’ve also sent photos of special interior features they are thinking of incorporating – everything from water features and electric fireplaces to wine bars and lounges.

If you’re not sure what you want, describe your products and client base and let the designer help you with an appropriate plan.

Be realistic about your budget; otherwise, the designer will be on the wrong track and that misunderstanding could delay your project.

Give your designer as much information up front as possible, to limit the changes needed during the process. Reconfiguring one area after the drawings are developed can snowball into changes in the electrical, lighting, finish plans and millwork drawings.

That can drive up your budget.

Finally, be realistic with how much time the project will take.

“Most stores I work on are usually like designing a mid- to high-level residence that involves much detail and coordination,” she says.

Allow yourself enough time in the course of the project to be involved, to the level you’re comfortable with.

Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success

After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone. Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently. The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.