The LEGO brand made its third standalone U.S. appearance with a 5000-square-foot store in the Shops at North Bridge (520 N. Michigan Ave.). The store was designed to convey three things: brand, location and creation. Elaborate, hand-made concoctions - some 10 feet high - were assembled from LEGO bricks in Billund, Denmark (home of the family-owned LEGO Group), and shipped to the new store. To promote a new line of LEGO Studios & Steven Spielberg MovieMaker, a product that lets people create their own computer-generated films and animate the LEGO sculptures, the store features a movie in the making (above). While LEGO filmmakers shoot on location, dinosaurs traipse through the streets of Chicago. The still-life set includes the Sears Tower, John Hancock Building and the North Bridge complex.
To segment the store into different product worlds, mobile fixturing was over-scaled, creating walls or dividers where needed. Further, a light-colored wood was selected for a Scandinavian sensibility in keeping with the brand heritage.
Design Team: LEGO Brand Retail Inc., Carlsbad, Calif. - Carol Stemmerman, vp; Christian Korbes, vp, design and branding; Jeffrey Fields, director of creative design; V.J. Rodrigues, show designer; Jeff Fisher, director of visual design, retail Outside Consultants: The Cuningham Group, Marina del Rey, Calif. (design); Edwards Technologies, El Segundo, Calif. (audio/video) Suppliers: Quality Cabinet and Fixture Co., San Diego (fixturing); Compass Display Group, Atlanta, and Rose Displays Ltd., Salem, Mass. (graphics); Silvestri California, Los Angeles (mannequins); Elevations Inc., S. San Francisco, Calif. (props) Photography: Karen Hoyt, Chicago