Stride Rite (Lexington, Mass.) revamped its Natick Mall store (Natick, Mass.) with a child's perspective in mind. The prototype features chunky, playful fixtures and a soft color palette, giving it a fun-yet-residential feel. Bureau- and bookshelf-style fixtures stand no higher than two feet to accommodate the clientele — infants to nine-year-olds.
A serpentine fixturing system runs from the front of the store to the back, encompassing all the seating and separating the store into age groups. Age-appropriate play areas are also incorporated in this central fixture, offering interactive toys (like bead mazes and mirrors) to keep little ones entertained.
CLIENT DESIGN: Stride Rite Corp., Lexington, Mass. — Jerry Silverman, president, Stride Rite children's group; Donna Morton, senior vp, brand creative; Jan Nannicelli, senior vp, operations; Barbara Scott, senior vp, retail merchandising; Midge Kirby, director, visual merchandising; James Harte, manager, design and construction DESIGN: Chute Gerdeman Inc., Columbus, Ohio — Lee Peterson, executive vp, brand strategies; Eric Eberhardt, program manager, environments; Scot Townley, senior designer, environments; Jennifer Linn, brand strategies; Maribeth Gatchalian, designer, environments; Jennifer Bajec, senior designer, graphics; Mary Jane Picard, designer, graphics; Heidi Brandewie, senior visual merchandising; Nicole Vachow, visual merchandising; Carmen Costinescu, materials resourcing; Kendall Cobb, implementation; Lori Frame, production manager; Susan Siewny, graphic production SUPPLIERS: B&N Industries, San Carlos, Calif.; and Custom Surroundings, Valley City, Ohio (fixturing); Atlas Carpet Mills, Los Angeles; and Masland Carpet, Saraland, Ala. (flooring); Brentano, Northbrook, Ill. (fabric); Trout Studios, Culver City, Calif. (footstools); Excell Business Systems, Columbus, Ohio (furniture); Skeeles Mfg., Columbus, Ohio; and Image West, Grand Rapids, Mich. (visual merchandising elements); Duron Paint & Wallcoverings, Beltsville, Md. (wallcovering); Armstrong World Industries, Lancaster, Pa. (ceiling elements); Digico Imaging, Columbus, Ohio; Image West, Grand Rapids, Mich.; and KSK Color Lab, Cleveland (signage); Atlite, White Plains, N.Y.; Flos USA Inc., Huntington Station, N.Y.; Hera Lighting Systems, Atlanta; Tango Lighting, N. Bergen, N.J. (lighting coordination); Treehouse Development Corp., Lake Mary, Fla. (contractor) PHOTOGRAPHY: Mark Steele Photography, Columbus, Ohio