STORE THE 2007 MUSIC INC....

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STORESTOREDESIGNDESIGNANNUAL

THE 2007 MUSIC INC.

Step into a progressive music productdealership these days, and you’re liableto notice a trend: Music stores arestarting to look less and less like musicstores. Inspired by a general movement

toward lifestyle retailing, they’re promoting notonly the gear they sell but also the music-makingculture. And nowhere is this more apparent toconsumers than in a store’s design.

Several of the following music product dealershave taken a cue from lifestyle retailing. They’vedesigned their businesses to accent the intangi-bles: lesson programs, stages for live music andthe plain-old joys of playing an instrument.Others have found inspiration in larger retailerswith a sensitivity for aesthetics, like Barnes &Noble, Starbucks and high-end department stores.

If you’re considering a new look, check out thefollowing store walk-throughs. At the very least,they’ll give you ideas on paint schemes, innova-tive merchandising and better ways to communi-cate music culture to your customers.

By Zach Phillips & Jenny Domine

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RICK’S MUSIC STORERAYNHAM, MASS. by Zach Phillips

With a 2,700-square-foot showroom,Rick’s Music Storeis a relatively mod-est dealership. But

its imaginative use of space, color,

fixtures and overall concept serve asa visual reminder that less cansometimes be so much more.

Rick’s has been designed to be amusic-as-lifestyle retail center. Thecompany’s remaining 2,300 square

feet are devoted to space for its les-son program and other goodies. RickSantos, the company’s owner, hireddesign guru Chris Miller to craft theoverall concept. Santos then addedhis own embellishments.

1 THE ENTRANCECustomers first notice the store’s open-ness, the cafe and what Santos calledthe “wow display.” Like many of the fix-tures in Rick’s Music Store, this octago-nal display is easy to move and changearound, and it gets rotated depending onthe company’s latest event. Here, it pro-motes The Beatles’ gear because Rick’shad been hosting the John LennonEducational Tour Bus. High-intensityhalogen ceiling lights make it pop, andthese lights are surrounded in stagetrussing to give them a concert-like look.The tile flooring, carpeting and overallcolor scheme were Miller’s idea.

2 OFFBEAT CAFERick’s Offbeat Cafe is 500 square feetof space well-spent. It gives parents aplace to relax while kids take musiclessons, and after hours, it’s used foropen mics and other live music events.A big-screen television also showsconcert DVDs. Santos mentioned allvideo must be screened beforehand forfoul language. “It’s a family atmos-phere,” he said. The cafe stage hasbeen outfitted with an electronic drumset, keyboard and speakers for easymusic setup. Santos procured thetables and chairs from a restaurantsupply center, and used laminate floor-ing instead of wood due to its low costand durability.

3 ART & COLORSCHEMEThe look of Rick’s Music Store was partlyinspired by a local restaurant chain, NotYour Average Joe’s. There, Santos firstsaw the art of Meg Roberts. Whenpreparing to redesign his store, he hiredRoberts to paint the cafe, giving her aconga with Santana’s latest album art-work for inspiration. The result is a lookthat’s hip yet appealing to all crowds.

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4 VOCAL BOOTHThe vocal booth was originally intendedas a nook where shoppers could recorda CD of themselves singing for around$20 per half-hour. The concept becametoo demanding to complete, at least forthe time being. The booth is now usedfor Rick’s Music’s recording classes,which take place in a room on theother side of the wall. (A window insidethe booth looks into the room.) Santossaid the booth will eventually be usedfor its intended purpose.

5 LEARNING SPACERick’s Music’s home theater demo roomdoubles as a spot for its recordingclasses. Outside are the company’s 10music lesson studios, which accommo-date 500 students each week. The hall-way features the work of local artists,including that of Santos’ wife, Robin,and two regulars at Rick’s Music’s openmic night.

6 GUITAR WINDOWChris Miller had advised Santos to blockoff the window in the guitar department,but Santos left it. He said he wanted toshow off the guitars to folks pulling intothe parking lot. Santos chose formicaplatforms after visiting other conceptstores and realizing they would help theguitars pop. He noted that the platformsare easy to clean.

7 MOVABLE DISPLAYSLike the display upfront, the percussiondepartment has movable fixtures forfeatured drum kits. This way, the sectioncan be changed on a whim.

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WEST MUSICCORALVILLE, IOWA By Jenny Domine

Afull-line music store’sgreatest design obstacleis not drowning in mer-chandise. “It can feellike the more stuff you

have the better you are,” said RobinWalenta, senior vice president ofWest Music. In a chain-wide

redesign, Walenta revitalized theCoralville, Iowa, location with a less-is-more philosophy. The challengefor Walenta was looking at the storethrough a customer’s eyes.

“Sometimes I think we are tooclose to the forest,” Walenta said.“So we really took this opportunity

to go in and think like a customer.”Clean lines, modern colors, com-

fortable spaces and flat screen TVs allplay a role in this new environment.

“It’s about less clutter, moreinformation, more open spaces,making it feel comfortable andclean,” Walenta said.

1 EXTERIORPrimary red and blue have been WestMusic’s signature color palette acrossall six locations. The company updatedthe palette inside the Coralville storeby finding modern retail colors likegrays and purples that come from thered and blue families.

2 SLATWALL& LIGHTINGThe warmth and simplicity of theacoustic guitar room create a relaxed,mellow area for players. The guitarsare accentuated by soft, red can lights,a homey purple wall color and a StringSwing wood-slat installment.

3 INDUSTRIALSNARE DISPLAYInspired by booth displays at NAMM,Walenta gave the store’s specialitysnare display an industrial feel withdiamond-plated metal and fluorescenttubes. Diamond plating elements arealso used in guitar amp displays.

“I work with a local fabricationshop,” she said. “He cut those stripsout for me, and then we mountedthem on metal studs. They mountedthem to hand-made brackets andattached fluorescent lighting behind it.It’s very cool.”

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4 GRAPHIC WALLSWalenta found customizable wallpaperonline and transformed photos of cus-tomers into floor-to-ceiling murals for itsguitar amp, piano and percussion depart-ments. The blue-tinted artwork connectsto the color palette — and the customers.Smaller “lifestyle” banners are used inproduct displays throughout the store,and they can be moved around.

5 SIGNAGEIt’s a design element that often fliesunder the radar, but tags, directional sig-nage and labels influence the customerexperience. Walenta explained how WestMusic developed FAB signs (Features,Advantages and Benefits) as a criticalpart of the redesign.

“If you’re a customer walking in forthe very first time, what do you need toknow?” Walenta asked. “You need toknow where to go and what you arelooking for. When you get there, you needto know what it is and how it is going tobenefit you.”

6 FLAT SCREENSWest Music has eight flat screens, each ina different area of the store. This multime-dia tool promotes, advertises and helpsbring in a little income. It scrolls promo-tions along the bottom of the screen forupcoming store events, plays videos aboutthe making of acoustic pianos and adver-tises West Music’s “priority partners.”

“We sell spots on our TV channels,”Walenta said. “So a priority partner getstheir logo on the screen and those rotateout.”

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FALCETTI MUSICENFIELD, CONN. by Zach Phillips

Falcetti Music’s newEnfield, Conn., store defiesconventional music retailwisdom. Its most visibleviolation is its location,

next door to a Best Buy. Ironically,that’s also one of its greateststrengths.

Previously located down thestreet, Falcetti’s managementdecided to move the Enfield store toa higher-traffic area. The new5,300-square-foot spot is readymadeto drive lesson traffic and evenincludes a cafe for waiting parents.To help with the design, Falcetti

President Tony Falcetti looked tonone other than his wife, Kacie, apart-time designer. The company,which celebrates its 50th anniver-sary this year and has five otherstores, is currently remodeling itsSpringfield, Mass., headquarters toresemble Enfield.

1 CAFEUpon entering, Falcetti Music’sEnfield store has a cafe to theimmediate right. It serves as a wait-ing area for parents with kids inmusic lessons and also as a minivenue for live music events, whichthe store hosts several times amonth. Kacie Falcetti found a dealon the wrought iron tables atBombay. The floor is covered inTuscan ceramic tiles, accented withthe occasional Deco tile. Kacie men-tioned the coffee distributor, GreenMountain, will work with companiesof all sizes.

2 PIANOSAcoustic and digital pianos are dis-played directly in front of the cafe.The area breathes comfort andsophistication in equal measure.Hardwood floors, granite-toppedtables and plush chairs give a senseof what the instruments would looklike in a luxury home. The relaxingearth-toned walls, which also fea-ture the paintings of artist EmanuelMattini, give the section characterwithout distracting from the pianos.

3 CLASSROOMThe back room has been convertedinto a performance area and aspace for Falcetti’s group organclasses. Again, notice the earth-toned walls.

4 POSH LESSONSLesson rooms boast the same cleanlook as the rest of the store, butunlike the piano area, they’redesigned to appeal to rock kidsthrough (framed) album covers andconcert posters.

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5 RUSTIC SLATWALLThe guitar department resides in anenclosed combo room across from thecafe. This section has been dressed upwith applewood slatwall to match therest of the store’s look.

6 GLASSDrum product shares space with guitarsin the combo room. The section not onlybenefits from natural light via the frontwindow but also glass walls to separateit from the nearby piano department.

7 IMPULSE BUYSFalcetti’s check-out station harkens backto old-school retail in the best way. Thecounter anchors the front of the shop likean old general store. It was crafted tomatch the applewood slatwall of thecombo room (located directly behind it).Falcetti had it built by a local carpenter.

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PENDER’S MUSICDALLAS, TEXAS by Zach Phillips

Pender’s Music PresidentRichard Gore calledopening his company’snew Dallas location “ano-brainer.” He hired

print music industry veteran

Richard Rejino as the manager,along with Carol Wilbur — bothformer Brook Mays Print Musicexecutives. Among their first ordersof business, Rejino and Wilburfound a local Barnes & Noble in the

process of moving and negotiatedwhat Rejino called “a dream deal”to acquire its shelves and fixtures.At 7,050 square feet, the result isone of the country’s most-beautiful,spacious print music dealerships.

1 AESTHETICSLarge-chain retailers have upped con-sumers’ expectations of book stores.The Pender’s Dallas location delivers avibe that’s a little bit Barnes & Noble, alittle bit Starbucks and a little bit musicboutiques. Upon entering, customers areawed by its sheer size and high ceilings,which are painted charcoal brown. Theback wall brings in natural, ambientlight via floor-to-ceiling windows, damp-ened by 9-foot walls. The color scheme,a combination of creams and yellowswith green accent walls, was chosen tocreate a relaxing environment for longbrowsing sessions.

2 TRAFFIC PATTERNPender’s layout was designed so itstwo key customer bases, school musiceducators and piano teachers, wouldhave their own sections on oppositeends of the store. This way, both groupshave to walk past more universal prod-uct in the middle — pop/jazz/Broadwaymusic and accessories — before head-ing to their respective departments.Other print music sections line theback of the store.

3 FIXTURESPender’s acquired nearly every fixture,with the exception of its smaller rollingbins, from the Barnes & Noble store.This includes beautifully stainedshelves, gondolas (three shelves andtwo lower tiers), a check-out counterand display tables. The gondolas areideal for featuring pop/jazz/Broadwaytitles, product that moves faster whencovers are given face time. They’vebeen arranged at shifting angles tobreak up the middle of the showroom.“It makes it easy to meander aroundthe store vs. being blocked in byshelves,” Rejino said.

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4 SMALL GOODSPender’s Music’s stores (it has five total)have traditionally done well with acces-sories. For the Dallas store, accessoriesand gifts are placed at strategic points. Theoctagon gift tables sit in front of the check-out area, and consumers can’t miss themon the way into the store. Guitar strings aredisplayed alongside the guitar music.Impulse gift buys — music-oriented ovenmitts, ties and umbrellas — get space nearthe door, and more general accessories,like tuners, reeds and stands, get a shelfnext to the register.

5 CHECK-OUTPender’s check-out fixture, anotherBarnes & Noble find, maintains an aura ofsophistication through the last part of thebuying process. Its generous size alsorenders it useful for displaying additionalimpulse items.

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ECKROTH MUSICBISMARCK, N.D. By Jenny Domine

Eckroth Music’s seventhlocation in Bismarck, N.D.,isn’t just another store, it’sa plaza. Eckroth Plaza, as ithas been dubbed, includes

an outdoor performance pavilion andshares the complex with shops likeString Bean Coffee and J.W. Pepper.

But even with a second floor of stu-dios and office space, Jeff Eckroth,president of Eckroth Music, keepsthe main showroom a strictly retail-only zone. “If you’re not careful,your business can poison your retailenvironment,” Eckroth said.

He enlisted the inspirations of

design consultant Glen Ingles todivide and conquer the 5,000 squarefeet of space. Each department in thefull-line store is distinct but main-tains a natural flow. Elements likeline of sight, access to the variousdepartments and employee walkingdistances were all taken into account.

1 EXTERIOREckroth Plaza features an outdoor performancepavilion with a raised stage and a canopy systemfor shade.

“Music makers don’t have enough ‘tenniscourts,’” Eckroth said. “We don’t have places todo things. This whole building was designed toinspire music making.”

Outside the store, six large light boxes featureimages of people making music. These light boxescreate visibility from the road in a high-traffic locationand light up at night for continued evening exposure.

2 ACOUSTIC SALONEckroth overcomes the stigma of its reputation asa B&O store by immediately treating customers tothe Acoustic Salon. The enclosed space maintainsspecific humidity levels to keep the acoustic gui-tars in top condition. Mellow lighting and woodtones create an inviting practice space.

“When you walk in there, you feel like you’rein a cocoon,” Eckroth said. “The ceiling height isa little higher, about 11 feet, and the framelessglass on a third of the wall doesn’t make you feeltrapped.”

3 CASE STORAGEInstrument cases can take up valuable floorspace. Eckroth noted his under-counter storage ofband instrument cases minimizes back-stock ofthis vital B&O accessory. “In retail accessories,you shouldn’t have any back stock,” he said. “Youshould design your retail floor and purchase dis-plays so you can maintain your inventory rightthere for the customer.” By having the casesavailable during a transaction, sales staff don’thave to leave their customers to get one out of astoreroom.

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ENTRY4 GUITAR & BASSDISPLAYThe surfboard-shaped guitar display defiesharsh square shapes and frees up valuablewall space. The two free-standing elliptical dis-plays give visual access to the guitars from avariety of angles in the store. The track lightingin the cornice above and the slate-gray slatwallhighlight the various shapes and colors of theproducts. Both displays are also hollow andfunction as storage space for guitar cases.

5 FLOORINGRounded edges are found throughout EckrothMusic. This includes the rounded fixtures,counter tops, department perimeters and floorpattern. Using a special concrete with apseudo-terrazzo effect, a two-tone pattern ofrings was created with the company’s logo inthe center.

“It is extremely easy to take care of,”Eckroth said. “A quick, light mop and broom,and you’re done. So from the standpoint ofdurability and maintenance, it has been fan-tastic.” Cost-wise, the concrete was compara-ble to a carpet tile installation.

6 CEILING LEVELSEckroth left the ceiling exposed and suspendedvarious partial ceiling structures to create visualcontainment for each department. The bandceiling has a cornice that wraps in an ellipticalshape, and the ceiling is dropped 11 feet.

“The higher you can get the ceiling, thelarger the visual feel of the space,” Eckroth said.“It also helps for air movement, and it works.”

7 LOUD LOUNGEThe guitar amp room features a red couch, lowlighting and spotlights on the product to createa space for musicians to hang.

“That’s cool because it really gives [customers]the freedom to just let ’er rip,” Eckroth said. Theglass walls offer a sense of privacy while allowingplayers to stay connected to the store. 4

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