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A New Age of Enticement

The art of inspiration

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The early merchant princes at the turn of the last century were in the business of selling dreams; they learned to capitalize on the aspirations of the consumer. Helen Landon Cass, a popular radio personality, told a display convention in 1923: “Sell them their dreams. Sell them what they longed for and hoped for. Sell them this hope and you won't have to worry about selling the goods.”

Wants and desires became needs and musts. Emily Fogg Meade wrote, “A magnitude of goods were produced to satisfy the needs that no one knew they had. Consumers wanted berry spoons, mustard spoons, sugar spoons, and soup spoons in ever-increasing variety.”

The industry fueled itself; factories produced goods, people had jobs, people bought goods, more goods were produced. People wanted more this year than last, and will want more next year than this year. A glut of product and aspirational merchandising led to a new retail model: the department store.

In this golden era of enticement, the simpatico between fine art and the art of display grew ever stronger. The paintings of Georgia O'Keefe were seen in the windows of B. Altman's and Marshall Field's, while the murals of Boardman Robinson graced the walls of Kaufmann's. Fernand Léger equated the art of window dressing to his own search for a new approach to realism: “Mundane objects could be shown with a gravity and weight previously denied [to] them.”

In today's technology-driven environment, merchants are scrambling to define new retail strategies that will entice customers into the stores. Now we are not merely selling dreams; today's consumer knows what they want, when they want it and where they want it. Today's merchants are in the business of selling experiences. They're in the business of moving emotions. And just as in the early stages of modern retail, art remains a vehicle for structuring the movement of emotion.

As visual merchandisers, we move, tweak and rouse emotion. We become inspirational to others by sharing our own inspirations. Sir Paul Smith, the English fashion designer once said, “You can find inspiration in everything: and if you can’t, look again.”

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Great art is an inspiration, it compels others to make art. And it’s not merely the art itself, but the impeccable curation of the work. I recently attended an exhibition presented by an industry supplier, featuring the art of Fabio Maria Micucci. The artist’s chosen medium is Murano glass. The work was presented to the mellifluous sounds of Vivaldi, while the Elle Erdman dancers glided through and around the strategically positioned glass sculptures. The melding of three art forms into an expressive movement of emotion was masterful.

It was truly inspirational to watch, look and listen as two dancers draped in lace and chiffon, became one with the music and glass. The sensuosity of their movements was graphically communicated as their performance was framed within the arms of a painted black wall. The harmonies of the sculpture, dance and music transported me to another place, another time and another state of mind.

As visual merchandisers working within the boundlessness of retail’s new paradigm, we must create a new age of enticement; one that transports our customers through an inspirational environment, to new experiences and new heights. I left the exhibition and dance performance totally inspired; wanting to create. My canvas is this column, while yours is the store environments you’re trusted to transform into magnificent selling stages of enticement.

Eric Feigenbaum is a recognized leader in the visual merchandising and store design industries with both domestic and international design experience.  He served as corporate director of visual merchandising for Stern’s Department Store, a division of Federated Department Stores, from 1986 to 1995. After Stern’s, he assumed the position of director of visual merchandising for WalkerGroup/CNI, an architectural design firm in New York City. Currently, he serves as the chair of the Visual Merchandising Department at LIM College (New York), and was also an adjunct professor of Store Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. In addition to being the New York Editor of VMSD magazine, Eric is also a founding member of PAVE (A Partnership for Planning and Visual Education). Currently, he is also president and director of creative services for his own retail design company, Embrace Design.

Catch Eric's session (“Retail's New Paradigm: Commecting with the Community“) at IRDC this year, Sept. 9-11 in Austin, Texas! For more information about IRDC, visit IRDConline.com.

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