Award-Winning Store

Richards of Greenwich, the sleek new specialty apparel store in Greenwich, Conn., opened last November by the Mitchell family, was named Store of the Year in the annual National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers (NASFM) Retail Design Awards competition.

The 27,000-square-foot, two-level store on Greenwich Avenue in the heart of town, was designed by The Fitzpatrick Design Group (New York), with the architectural services of Herbert S. Newman & Partners, New Haven, Conn., and Steve A. Lamb Architect, New York. Among its compelling design elements is a dramatic flying staircase, with a hand-forged iron balustrade and limestone steps, sweeping up from the middle of the first-floor men's department to the smaller womenswear shops upstairs.

The Mitchell family has long owned Mitchells of Westport (Conn.), a designer apparel store that tops $30 million a year. Guided by patriarch and ceo Jack Mitchell, the family's approach includes intense personal service for its upscale clientele.

For a complete report on the new store, see the cover story, “Greenwich Villa,” in the April 2001 issue of VM+SD. For listings of all the other winners, see VM+SD's May issue.