Design For A Flexible Modular WardrobeTrade Show Fixture For Hart Schaffner Marx

I designed this fixture with a client several seasons ago for the Hart Schaffner Marx  Chicago Collective trade show space at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. We wanted something flexible and modular - a sort of "wardrobe" fixture -  to accommodate hang rail, shelves, graphics and mannequin forms - but not in a static way. Some seasons there aren't that many sample garments, for example, and we might need to "fake out" a few of them (there are eight) with graphics and mannequin forms so as to keep the spacious booth (20' x 40') looking full.

We also wanted them double sided as the booth is a peninsula (three open sides & one hard back wall). High gloss white laminate with sign holders at the top to indicate what particular collection within the brand.

They have worked very well season to season and have proven to be the flexible fixture that the client was striving for.

PGA Merchandise Show January 2013 Bobby Jones

 

 

These pictures are showing both ends of the booth - one end showcasing golf wear and the other more of the "Country Club" looks - beautiful alpaca sweaters, flannel trousers with suede outerwear - all from the Fall 2013 lines & the back of the booth here with Spring 2013.

An eye wear line was added last season.

 

 

 

 

The parent company of Bobby Jones has changed ownership again and a new company name, W. Diamond Group Corp, has come with it. The new ownership is dedicated to bringing a ton more marketing dollars to invigorate all the brands, including Bobby Jones.

 

Adaptive Re-Use Project: From A Factory Employee Lunch Room Into A Factory Outlet Store

This is a project that I completed several years ago which has since went away and been through several incarnations in the past several years. The space was inside the Hart Schaffner Marx factory in Chicago (Des Plaines), IL. It was being used as an employee lunch room with vending machines, refrigerators, sinks, cupboards, etc. - a mish-mosh of stuff. And dirty. I wish I had retained my original 'before" pics but they were lost in a pc crash last year. Suffice it to say, that this was a daunting task on a shoestring budget.

The project was a collaborative effort with my client at the corporation that owned HSM at that time. He would busy be on other projects and traveling. Once we devised the concept / design together, I was on my own.

The factory was built around 1971 and is actually two facilities - manufacturing and distribution. Each with their own employees, facilities and entrances. The store would have to function within a situation where distribution employees would need to pass through the store to enter the distribution / loading dock area and offices by 7:00 AM. The store, however would not open until 10:00 AM. A movable fence for the merchandise area of the store was the solution for the distribution employees. They would enter from the main outside entrance, then a vestibule, then pass by the cash / wrap area to an inner door. The offices, which previously were behind a mullion surround glass wall / door would be back painted the HSM blue color with a logo for privacy and store aesthetic purposes.

A contracting company was hired and the inevitable process of acquiring the proper village permits was begun. This was not in the city of Chicago, but the near suburb of Des Plaines. Anything involving exterior signage - in this case two - was a whole separate process.

ADA requirements was another prevalent matter. Parking was a concern, there was only space for four to five cars in front (employees parked in a lot behind the facility) there would need to be two handicap spaces as well as a partial curb cut. As well, the distribution employees needed a place to go outside for a cigarette break - notice the cigarette disposal device to the left of the entrance.

A floor plan was created and a fixture purchase list put in place - very simple, affordable, utilitarian and sourced locally.

The contracting / construction company was the same as used by the parent corporation for their exhibit designs at trade shows who were also experienced in retail construction. This made for a good fit as we were already very well acquainted. A simple retro inspired vinyl floor tile was chosen to "punch" the store up a bit. We were also in luck with an existing design element. The wall of "portholes" was an interesting feature as well as letting in natural light without losing precious wall space for hang rail.

In the end, it took five months to navigate the village of Des Plaines code requirements as well as corporation conflicts, concerns, union intervention and territorial issues from within the factory / distribution staff before the store opened - under budget by $11K.

The store was open for a little over a year. The parent corporation went into bankruptcy in the beginning months of the financial crisis, lost their downtown Chicago headquarters, moved some offices to a facility nearby and others to this facility. The store then became the company's Custom Shop and more recently turned into office cubicles.

Revised Front Elevation - A Store Re Model

When I created the original front elevation for this store re-model in Hinsdale, I was experimenting with new software - SmartDraw - which, as a trial I was allowed 3 printed drawings. But as a trial, these had a huge watermark with their logo etc in the lower right corner. I have since been experimenting with Goggle Sketch Up. It lacks some of the more easily dropped in items (doors, windows etc) but for the price ($0.00), Sketch Up is very attractive. I'm still figuring out how to properly scale, measure etc - but it's coming along!

PGA Fall Expo / Bobby Jones Spring 2013

PGA Fall Expo is a much smaller version of the annual PGA Merchandise trade show event that's held annually in January in Orlando, FL. Fall Expo has been held in various convention facilities in Las Vegas - it's currently in one of the Ballrooms at the Venetian. A typical hotel ballroom with all of that loud carpet - and "pipe & drape" as we used to call it. A 10'  x 30'  isn't difficult to lay out in your mind but I did a floor plan anyway.

The small thin rectangle that's centered in the back represents the Bobby Jones sign banner - again the sign cloth that's stretched over a metal frame becomes an instant "sign wall" - very effective for these booths that provide a stock package of items - a nice way to give it a customized look. But, that carpet takes away so much focus.

For reasons of ease of access for the Sales Reps to their shared samples - we had to split down one of the shelf units - & they bought a pair of black bakers racks for other samples. This is a bare bones trade show - and is a working show to benefit the Sales Reps not to necessarily promote and brand the image of Bobby Jones.

In the end the Sales Reps were very pleased with the sales results - so I was pleased for them - if not with the final aesthetics of the booth.

MRketLV Hickey Freeman & Hart Schaffner Marx Spring 2013 / August 2012

MRket Las Vegas trade show is owned by MR Magazine - the men's apparel industry publication. They also produce a show in New York that happens just before Chicago Collective. It's a smaller show overall than Collective. HMX labels have a smaller presence than at Collective as well - it's very costly to ship in fixtures, furniture etc. HMX does ship their custom banner signs - which do help to give the booth a custom feel.

Unfortunately, a 20' x 20' peninsula booth was chosen for some reason. Hart Schaffner Marx & Hickey Freeman shared the booth this time - with a 12' banner a piece.(Last show was a 10' x 30' that they shred with the casual HMX label - WORN - out of Seattle). My original thought was to angle the banners to a point or to simply overlap them and hope that the logos were both in view - per my floor plan.

We tried angling - it took up too much room. We overlapped the banners - not an inch to spare to get both logos in. They will have to go back to a 10' x 30' - or a 10' x 40' booth next show. As well - for all of the to-do about these rolling racks - the labels simply don't have enough samples to utilize all that were sent. We always start with the floor plan and go from there.

Both Hickey Freeman & Hart Schaffner Marx have some fun sportswear & casual tailored looks for Spring 2013 - but it's the tailored looks that are eye catching in their simplicity of tailoring.

Anyone for a red plaid linen sport jacket?

A shoulder draped sweater over a sport jacket - adds a bit of "Runway" show business to the look.

Bobby Jones At Chicago Collective Spring 2013

Bobby Jones is another men's label manufactured by HMX Group, LLC. Unlike most of their other men's lines - Bobby Jones is a golf performance and sportswear (think Country Club) line. Also unlike many of the other labels owned by HMX - Bobby Jones is a license -  the name Bobby Jones is still owned and controlled by the heirs of Bobby Jones. The heirs contract HMX to manufacture the line and receive a certain percentage of sales.

The booth is partially shared with Hart Schaffner Marx (originally slated for Austin Reed London - another HMX tailored line) which has it's main booth across the aisle (there are four HMX booths at Chicago Collective that are located front & center of the show). A new floor plan had to be created to condense Bobby Jones into a footprint one third smaller than the booth size of 20' x 30'  to accommodate the HSM end.

Three double sided white laminate merchandiser units were utilized to make the split booth work.

The reverse side of this pic:

Chicago Collective Spring 2013 Hart Schaffner Marx

Hart Schaffner Marx is another of the HMX Groups' menswear line of tailored clothing and sportswear. HSM is celebrating it's 125th anniversary in 2012! It's another "Made-In-The- USA" line of clothing from HMX Group. They are manufactured in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines near O'Hare airport. President Obama has had some of his suits custom made by Hart Schaffner Marx including the one he wore to his inauguration in 2009.

The Hart Schaffner Marx booth at Chicago Collective has smooth, slick booth components in glossy white laminate. Laminate is notorious for chipping - but with customized crates made especially for each merchandiser unit and furniture piece, all the moving in and out of freight elevators and trucks has not affected the condition of any of the pieces - all are in pristine shape 7 years later.

Chicago Collective Hickey Freeman Spring 2013

Chicago Collective Spring 2013 ended last week August 13th. The HMX Group's Hickey Freeman label is pictured here with their logo blow up as the main back drop for the booth. This is a very effective sign system utilizing a self standing frame with a cloth banner sign that slips onto the frame for a very snug fit. The cloth banner sign comes in a cloth bag and once it is stretched onto frame - there are no wrinkles! A great feature for storage, and for shipment. The metal self standing frame collapses down into several pieces for additional ease of transport and shipping.

The Hickey Freeman line of tailored clothing & sportswear is the HMX Groups' higher end menswear line. It is manufactured in the US - Rochester, New York. The fabrics are incredible for Spring 2012- the linens especially - very luxurious.

Chicago Collective August 2012 / Bobby Jones Spring 2013

The Chicago Collective show later this week will showcase Spring 2013 Men's Wear Collections. It takes place August 11, 12 & 13 at the Chicago Merchandise Mart 8th Floor Market Suites. It is an industry professional event - buyer credentials are required to obtain admission.

The previous show Bobby Jones moved from an awkward 20' x 30' space directly behind where it presently is located. The 20' wide x 30' deep space was extremely difficult to properly space plan. A trade show booth should never have a front that is more narrow in front as it is deep. The new location is a corner position 20' x 30'.

The company that owns all four of the labels that are showing - HMX Group - wanted to squeeze in a fifth label last show - Austin Reed - onto the end of the Bobby Jones booth. This would position Austin Reed to face it's other label - Hart Schaffner Marx  - across the aisle. The two tailored labels blend well together.  Bobby Jones is a performance golf & country club label. So, having a tailored and a sportswear label in one booth is not optimal in my opinion. This was a last minute adjustment at the January show.

I am making an attempt to have a better layout this show. The initial floor plan is pictured here - we'll see how it works out.

A Store Re-Model

This is a story board for a store "face lift" in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale. It's a small convenience store just down the road from a very big country club. The owner sells the typical convenience store items: soda, various junk food items etc., but as well sells expensive imported cigars, has a huge inventory of wines - some very pricey and - live bait! There is a local lake that's stocked with fish as well as a pond in the confines of the country club.

The owner is also adding a deli counter and is currently waiting for the Village of Hinsdale approval on that as well as the back prep area. More to follow! I will have before and after pics at some point. Wish me luck!

The Chicago Market July 2012

The Chicago Market is a trade show event at the Chicago Merchandise Mart that takes place four times a year. The January & July shows are the bigger of the four events that include both the permanent showrooms on 13 and the 8th floor temporary gallery suites. It showcases product across a broad spectrum of categories that includes gift items, home decor, jewelry and - Christmas. Anything and everything for Christmas - from ornaments, Christmas trees, lights, gifts - and a life size Santa Claus if you should so desire one.

It runs from July 19 - July 24 for the permanent showrooms on the 13th floor & July 21 - July 24 for the temporary gallery suites on the 8th floor.

The Sales & Marketing team showcase special displays on the main floor lobby of the Mart as an introduction to buyers as they enter. A Christmas themed display was added for the July show this year.

The Merchandise Mart lobby is an Art Deco masterpiece - grand, beautiful - and cavernous. This particular section of the North Lobby was remodeled in the early 1990's when there was a shopping mall there and on the second floor. The escalators were added at this time. The Christmas display was to be located under the escalators.

My biggest concern was that product would just be overwhelmed by this huge space - but the escalators actually help to contain it. It doesn't hurt then to have two 10 foot Christmas trees and a life size standing Santa!

I created a floor plan using google sketchup - it really helps to have a floor plan - even if you have to adjust it upon installation - which I did.

The Merchandise Mart has a tremendous staff of carpenters, painters & electricians - all of which were utilized into bringing this project to completion.

Go to www.shopchicagomarket.com and check out all details of the show. It is open to shop owners, retail buyers of department stores etc - credentials are required, so be sure to check the web site for all pertinent details.