FAO Baby

FAO Schwarz's bundle of joy, FAO Baby, has undergone a growth spurt at the retailer's Fifth Street, New York location. Bergmeyer Associates (Boston) redesigned the infant/toddler section to have a standalone store feel, with wider aisles to accommodate strollers and seminars, a brighter color palette and video diaries intended to achieve a scrapbook effect. To appeal to busy new parents, the merchandise is more accessible and department signage is clearer.

But perhaps the most striking new feature of FAO Baby is the Fisher-Price® area, its largest component. Studio Productions Inc. (Tempe, Ariz.) collaborated with Fisher-Price to create a space interspersed with 31fiberglass character sculptures, each approximately 3 feet high. By a center kiosk, Sesame Street's Elmo sits beneath a tree, waving to shoppers at kids'eye-level. Bert and Ernie peer from behind a colorful flower garden and, on another platform, Piglet hitches a piggyback ride from Winnie the Pooh. Big Bird, Bear in the Big Blue House and Mickey Mouse also make appearances in the redesign, creating a lively space difficult for families to overlook.

Client Design: FAO Schwarz, New York — Steve Wissman, project manager; Dik Glass, executive vp; Rick Whitaker, vp Fisher-Price

Area Design Team: Studio Productions Inc., Tempe, AZ — Dean Dwyer, president; Fisher Price, E. Aurora, N.Y. — Jeni Burford, project manager

FAO Baby Design Team: Bergmeyer Associates, Boston – Marianne Weiss, designer

Architect: Allen and Killcoyne Architects, New York

General Contractor: Gannon Contracting, New York

Suppliers: Design for Industry, Buffalo, N.Y. (audio/video); Illinois Store Fixtures, Ham Lake, Minn. (fixtures); Amtico Intl., Atlanta, Durkan Patterned Carpet, Dalton, Ga. (flooring); Studio Productions Inc., Tempe, Ariz. (graphics, signage and fiberglass sculptures); Lighting Management Inc., New York (lighting)

Photography: Jeff Heatley, Mattituck, N.Y.