Elder Beerman

Elder Beerman completed its Warsaw, Ind. Prototype at the end of last year, adopting a new design and format. The Dayton, Ohio-based middle-market retailer chose to shrink the new store from the average 90,000 to 100,000 square feet, to only 58,000 square feet.

Designers at Horst Design International (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) realized that a smaller format with simpler traffic patterns would accommodate busy, American shoppers who would prefer to spend their minimal leisure time doing something other than shopping. And older folks benefit, too, since the simple, open layout is easier to navigate.

To avoid the warehouse feel, designers placed four freestanding gazebos in the store's interior, which house three fitting rooms each. Merchandise space is maximized with extended fixture arms, longer face-outs and occasional triple-hung merchandise walls. An open-sell cosmetics department acts as the store's focal point, attracting shoppers with a dropped, circular drywall ceiling and two red fragrance walls. The store's once plain-Jane exterior was remedied by opening up huge, one-and-a-half-story windows.

Client: Elder Beerman Department Stores, Dayton, Ohio — Fred Mershad, chair and ceo; Jim Zamberlan, executive vp of merchandising and stores; Jeff Brown, senior vp of store planning and construction; Les Satinover, vp of visual

Design: Horst Design International, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. — Douglas Horst, principal-in-charge; Bernhart Rumphorst, principal; Fidel Miro, planning and design director; Cynthia Davidson, director of colors and materials; Alexander Latham, project architect

Consultant: Omega Architects & Engineers, Syracuse, N.Y. (building a/e); Elder Beerman construction management team, Dayton, Ohio (general contractor)

Suppliers: Creative Cabinets, Arcanum, Ohio (fixturing); J&J Carpeting, New York, and Kentile Vinyl Floors, Deer Park, N.Y. (flooring); Lightron, Cornwall, N.Y., and Indy Lighting, Fishers, Ind. (lighting); Blumenthal Inc., Canaan, N.Y., and Gilford, Jefferson, Ind. (wallcovering); USG, Chicago (ceilings)