FABULOUS FIXTURES

By Linda Cahan

Standards, brackets, chrome quads and t-stands – boring, boring, boring.

Sometime you just want to scream when you see interesting merchandise hanging on wobbly, old chrome fixtures. A $400 dress looks like a schmatta from Marshall’s on a beat up rack.

The world is full of interesting things that work as fixturing.

If you have interesting merchandise, it just makes sense to have some equally interesting fixtures.

It’s often financially impossible to toss out the old, boring chrome but you can throw out the pieces that are beyond repair and add to the mix with some inexpensive, fun ideas.

Everyone has a hobby and one of mine, odd as it may seem, is finding stores that have interesting, really cheap fixtures that work.

Some of my finds are:

1.    In Paris I discovered a jewelry store with only heavy vinyl for fixturing. The

heavy, clear vinyl was attached to the ceiling and floor in different sized sheets. Jewelry was attached to the vinyl just as it would be on the body – earrings and pins were stuck through while bracelets and necklaces looped through holes punched neatly in the vinyl. It was fun, easy and extremely clever. As a shopper, I wandered through the vinyl “walls” and was able to see the entire selection – front and back.

2. The use of armoires is old hat at this point – but in an unusual Marblehead, Massachusetts store I found armoires mixed with old wrought iron head boards hung from the ceiling. Merchandise hung off them as if they were rods. It was fun and unusual. These were not new headboards – in fact they looked like tag sale finds. But they worked!

3.    One of my favorite stores in Soho, NYC is Morgane La Fey.

This store not only has incredible clothing but also easy, inexpensive and fun fixtures. A lovely fabric covers either chain or heavy rope which hangs all their clothing  “rods” from the ceiling. All the hanging pieces are covered in the fabric and the entire store kind of swings as you move through the clothing.

There are exceptionally high ceilings painted the same color as the fabric, so the covered ropes seemed to go into the sky. Altogether, it has a magical feeling.

4.    I may be wrong, but we humans do not have one 90-degree angle on our

bodies. We have a highly positive response to organic materials and curves. Whenever I see a curved wall or a curved wall fixture, I am attracted to that area. Curved wall fixtures exist in the market. Curved rods may be attached to brackets for standards or to slatwall. It costs more in construction to build a curved wall but it adds tremendously in overall ambiance.

5.    Organic materials are another plus. A plush lingerie store, Etoile, in

Westport, CT did a great job using elegant fabrics to define and separate the dressing rooms from the rest of the store. This soft colored metallic fabric is stretched to make a wall. It’s both soft and semi-rigid at the same time. Sort of like a fabulous bra.

6.    Another organic materials store is Anthropologie. They use a lot of natural

materials such as; brick, ceramic tile, wood, raw metals and glass to create warm environmental sections in their stores.

The clothing is placed on armoires, wood and metal shelving and many

 t-stands that don’t scream “chrome imported from Taiwan.”

This store is very comfortable to walk through because your senses aren’t jarred by sharp edges or toxic materials. They create a home-like environment that encourages people to stay longer – and, as a result, buy more.

Sometimes just adding an interesting piece to your existing fixtures will create a new feel in your store. Even though Sunday may be (if you’re lucky) a day off, consider trolling the streets for tag sales. You just may find a gem.

Of course, if you want to go really on the cheap – furniture pick-up day (each town usually has a day for large garbage pick-ups) may be a way to find a tarnished gem.

Either way, be creative with your fixturing and the new infusion of energy will enhance your store and sales.