Everybody loves to shop. Well, almost everybody. For those of you who don't, and certainly for those of you who do, I offer the following romantic tidbit: Some people have a true love affair with their favorite store; and some people even propose marriage in the windows of their favorite store.
That's exactly what happened in the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue recently. On the day in question, an anxious bridegroom stood nervously in front of the windows on the Fifth Avenue side of the venerable retailer's New York flagship store. Knowing that his girlfriend was a long time Saks Fifth Avenue devotee, he thought it would be fitting, and maybe even romantic, to pop the question right there on the famous avenue. When Saks management was approached, they thought it was a splendid idea.
Harry Cunningham, svp store planning and visual merchandising, and his window team sprang into action. A mannequin in six of the existing window installations along Fifth Avenue was fitted with a sign. When complete, the sprawling message across the bank of windows read, “WILL YOU MARRY ME, LEXIE?”
As the clock neared 3:30, the predetermined time that Lexie's friend was going to surreptitiously bring her to Saks for a bit of impulse shopping, our groom began to nervously pace and strain his neck to look up the avenue to see if his true love was on the way. And then a wonderful thing happened: a large crowd, sensing the moment, began to gather in front of Saks.
And then an even more wonderful thing happened. Lexie came walking down the aisle — excuse me — I meant Avenue. She looked at the windows, her jaw dropped and her eyes brightened. Her beloved jumped from his spot next to the window that held the question mark sign, got down on one knee and presented Lexie with a diamond ring. Lexie and the crowd rejoiced as this became a true New York moment.
The message here: Retailers must do more than just sell. They must connect, they must teach and they must contribute to the community. And nobody does it better than Saks Fifth Avenue. Incidentally, Lexie said yes, so I'm certain the couple will live happily ever after, and continue to shop at Saks Fifth Avenue.
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.