Specialty Retail Report's 11th Annual Visual Victories contest!

Specialty retailers
(Specialty leasing managers, visual merchandisers, and consultants are encouraged to submit entries on behalf of specialty retailers.)

Entry Deadline: January 18, 2008
Winners announced in the spring issue of SRR.

You may enter as many categories as you wish, but you must submit a separate entry form for each category you enter. Send professional quality, high resolution JPEGs photos with your entry form.

2008 2007 2006

Retailer's cart: Natural Beauty
Retailer: Sharon Elkayam
Location: Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, VA
Devel./mgmt.: The Taubman Company
Entry submitted by: Susan Crusoe-Farris, Taubman
Visual merchandisers: Robin Bliss and Matt Grace
Forget a splash of color here or there, this display goes for it! Shelf pads are covered in a bold blue that matches the Dead Sea packaging and grounds the display. Yet the blue is bright enough to compliment the vibrant colors of the manicure kits displayed in natural baskets. The center multi-color panel unifies the colors and uses green palm leaves convey the natural aspect of the product in an instant. The theme is helped along with large palms that bookend and soften the display.

Retailer's cart: Okuma's Wu-Long
Retailer: Stormy Skogg
Location: Park Meadows, Lone Tree, CO
Devel./mgmt.: General Growth Properties
Entry submitted by: Stephanie Jackson, GGP
Visual merchandiser: Jan Arnold
A regal color scheme of red, gold and black is taken from the product packaging and skillfully carried throughout this display. From the red-and-gold polka dots on the shelf pads to the striped satin pillows to the rich reds in the modern lanterns, the colors blend together in one cohesive visual presentation. The orchids do triple duty, reinforcing the Chinese theme, adding a burst of life and brightening the darker red-and-black palette. Additional small but key propsÑa black Chinese dragon in the center, a gold-topped keepsake box to the rightÑare strategically placed to complete the theme of this upscale tea concept.

Retailer's cart: Amazing Toys
Retailer: Yuval Biton
Location: Arundel Mills, Hanover, MD
Devel./mgmt.: Simon Property Group
Entry submitted by: Roy Staeck, Simon
Visual merchandiser: Steve Lippert
This Jetson's-style display sets the tone for the product being sold: the latest remote-control toys. The bright orange prop in the center puts the screaming- yellow SUV and Hover Saucer front-and-center, while the yellow circle draws the eye up, to showcase the product's built-tough undercarriage and go-anywhere wheels. A great example of how an inexpensive and simple prop can make a product stand out. A fun and whacky display that's just right for attracting kidsÑof all ages.

Retailer's kiosk: Red Ribbon BakeShop
Retailer: Tommy Y. King
Location: The Shops at Tanforan, San Bruno, CA
Devel./mgmt.: General Growth Properties
Entry submitted by: Irene Wu, GGP
Red Ribbon uses a rich yet lively red accent on the cash wrap that coordinates with the subtly lighted signage overhead and the product packaging on the shelves. An island extends the footprint of the kiosk, creates a channel to bring customers inside and gives the retailer a chance to showcase a few key products. Overhead, a curved, aluminum menu board in silver and black flows with the circular canopy and matches the kiosk finish and "BakeShop" type, which pulls the color scheme together nicely.

Retailer's kiosk: Roanoke City Library e-Branch
Retailer: Roanoke Public Library, Sheila Umberger
Location: Valley View Mall, Roanoke, VA
Devel./mgmt.: CBL & Associates Properties
Entry submitted by: Kendall Hurt, CBL
Visual merchandisers: Timm Jamieson, Mark Shelton, Charlie Anderson
High-tech yet warmly inviting, the Roanoke City Library e-Branch provides Internet access to the area's public library system, book lockers for pick-up and a book drop for returns. The color scheme draws from Roanoke City's logo, far left, and then goes further with dynamic swoops of color too big to ignore. Small but key accents, a swatch of neutral fabric overhead and rug below, work very effectively give the library patron a sense of place.

Retailer's kiosk: Wow Smile Express
Retailer: Irvin Joseph
Location: Miami International Mall, Miami, FL
Devel./mgmt.: Simon Property Group
Entry submitted by: Wendy Chao
Visual merchandiser: John Morales
This Wow kiosk caught our judges' attention for its clean and open, spa-like feel. A refreshing color scheme and attractive coordinating graphics add to the location's relaxed feel, which helps put at east customers contemplating self-administered teeth whitening in a mall setting. (Wow has a new prototype kiosk design in the works that gives customers more privacy.)

Retailer's store: Brida Shoes
Retailer: Jhon Abbas
Location: Devonshire Mall, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Devel./mgmt.: Ivanhoe Cambridge
Entry submitted by: Lori Blake, Ivanhoe
Visual merchandiser: Ellen Klein Forte
The staircase in this window display invites customers to check out the store's footwear and the oversized couch/lamp prop says, "Take a seat and try 'em on!" (See Brida's first-place win in the "Best Prop" category for more details on this unique custom-built prop.) Shoes on the staircase are arranged by function for visual continuity and the signage is clean and crisp to match the store's image. Amidst all the white, a bold splash of red in the rug pulls the eye into the store and to the back wall where the store name so large it's easily seen from the front window.

Retailer's store: Stuff With Love
Retailer: Jada Bohmer
Location: Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Devel./mgmt: Ivanhoe Cambridge
Entry submitted by: Tania Cerantola, Ivanhoe
Visual merchandiser: Cheryl Campbell
A cartoon teddy bear and apple trees are part of a friendly outdoor scene that invites little ones (and their parents) to come inside to play. The cartoon theme is continued inside, with a happy sun surveying all and more teddies highlighting key signage. Slatwall fixtures keep itty-bitty apparel and accessories neat and organizedÑand within easy reach of little hands. Strategically placed plush buddies sit atop each fixture, to let kids know how their buddy can look when fully dressed, which subtly prompts add-on sales.

Retailer's store: Kurtz Orchards
Retailer: Michael Kurtz
Location: Vaughan Mills, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
Devel./mgmt.: Ivanhoe Cambridge
Entry submitted by: Mary Cipriano, Ivanhoe
Visual merchandisers: Stacy and Michael Kurtz
Attractive wrought-iron gates give this 75' by 12' store its boundaries and establish and open-door entrance. The brick arches, rich wood grains on the signage and deep accent colors on the shelving units merge together effortlessly to make the store warm and inviting. Hints of a top-notch kitchen- pantry abound and give this store its down-home feelÑa fantastic way to compliment the wide variety of Kurtz gourmet products grown on the family farm in Canada.

Retailer's cart: Be
Retailer: Be Productions
Location: Stonestown Galleria, San Francisco, CA
Devel./mgmt.: General Growth Properties
Entry submitted by: Matthew Diaz, GGP
"Don't just watch TV, "Be" on it!" proclaims the tagline above the monitor showing child actors at work on a sitcom. Coupled with the central red movie marquee graphic and the (partially obscured) "Hollywood is Here!" declaration, the unit virtually begs kids to imagine themselves as a megastar in the making. Company's brochures and marketing materials are neatly stacked for the taking at this promotional cart.

Retailer's cart: The New York Times
Retailer: The New York Times, Patricia Sins
Location: Twelve Oaks Mall, Novi, MI
Devel./mgmt.: The Taubman Company
Entry submitted by: Christine Manley, Taubman
Visual merchandiser: Christine Manley
A sepia-tone photo of the New York skyline sets brand-identity stage by subtly reminding viewers of The Times' long history covering "All the news that's fit to print." Below the focal-point photo, each section of the paper is displayed alongside a framed color photo or prop that visually illustrates the focus of that section: a model's pose for the fashion section, a globe for world affairs. The Sunday Styles section and the style magazine, "T"Ñthe fashion-focused sections most likely to be of interest to mall shoppersÑare rolled neatly in a basket within easy reach.

Retailer's cart: Listen Hear
Retailer: Starkey Laboratories
Location: Mall of America, Bloomington, MN
Devel./mgmt.: MOA Mall Holdings
Entry submitted by: Lisa Taylor, MOA
Visual merchandiser: Brett Beaudette
Video and lifestyle graphics plus clear signage make this cart stand out. A central lifestyle photo immediately conveys that an MP3 product is being promoted, in this case custom-made earbuds. The tagline, "Challenge Your Earphones!" invites shoppers closer for a fun test, and prominent signage left and right points out a cart feature (a hearing test) and a key product benefit (comfort). A more- detailed presentation of benefits and features runs center-stage on videoÑa sure attention-getter.

Retailer's store: Gone Country
Retailer: Joyco Enterprises
Location: Katy Mills, Katy, TX
Devel./mgmt.: Simon Property Group
Entry submitted by: Shannon Copes, SPG
Visual merchandiser: Joyco Enterprises
Gone Country's signage is creative in many ways, but it's the splash of color in "Country" that's really ingenious. By matching the sign's accent color to the larger and dynamic fa�ade accents above, the sign visually becomes much higher, wider and more exciting. The map accent works well to convey the store's focus: country dŽcor.

Retailer's store: Goboardgo
Retailer: Greg Hodgin
Location: Randolph Mall, Asheboro, NC
Devel./mgmt.: CBL & Associates Properties
Entry submitted by: Jerry Jones, CBL
What looks like a chalkboard is black plexiglass with red, backlit lettering and two fun and friendly typefaces that reflect the laid-back nature of this boarder store. The accordion aluminum backing and unfinished-wood framing give the sign a rustic-industrial look that says, "Our products are fun, but we demand function, too." The sign says it all, but the various boards are hanging high to garner attention and create excitement. And it works.

Retailer's store: Cosmic
Retailer: Kenitha Proctor
Location: Florence Mall, Florence, KY
Devel./mgmt.: General Growth Properties
Entry submitted by: Azalee Cole, GGP
Our judges liked the way Cosmic uses its entire storefront, with a typeface and accents that give the illusion of movementÑ almost vibrationÑalong with I-beam posts that pull the eye down and into the store. The bright yellow is a natural attention-getter and on the I-beams tones down the hard, industrial materials to create a vibrant entrance.

Retailer's store: Brida Shoes
Retailer: Jhon Abbas
Location: Devonshire Mall, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Devel./mgmt.: Ivanhoe Cambridge
Entry submitted by: Lori Blake, Ivanhoe
Visual merchandiser: Ellen Klein Forte
A stark white, luxurious-looking couch sits beneath a matching, oversized lampshade that has been crystal embellished by hand. Although the two pieces are not connected, from just a short distance the props merge into one image to form an Alice In Wonderland-sized lamp that's whimsical and inviting. One of our judges put it best: "It makes you want to try on shoes!" (See Brida's first-place win in the "Best Store Displays" category for a look at how this prop works in the store's window.)

Retailer's kiosk: SolarX Eyewear
Retailer: Mike Thompson
Location: Potomac Mills, Prince William, VA
Devel./mgmt.: Simon Property Group
Entry submitted by: Claudia Padilla, Alicia Diaz-Johnson, SPG
Visual merchandiser: Steve Lippert
This is a fresh, cutting-edge way to draw attention to a mainstream product, with just enough desert- tone color to be stylish and trend-forwardÑthe perfect fit for an Arizona location. The panels with shapes on either side of the center head give the artwork a bit of visual air and add interest, with the shapes reminiscent of dessert rocks sometimes forming swooshes that add movement, and all pointing down toward the product below, a nice touch.

Retailer's kiosk: Big Cat Spain
Retailer: Maria Jose Vitores Toledo
Location: Madrid Xanadœ, Madrid, Spain
Devel./mgmt.: Ivanhoe Cambridge
Entry submitted by: Pablo Gutierrez, Ivanhoe
Visual merchandiser: Fiorela Brambila
The visual merchandiser for this Madrid Xanadœ cart created a fun, colorful and unusual way to display roller wheels. The mannequin legs protruding from silver tubs catch the eye first, and they're painted to match the product below. More legs droop over the cart's side, demon- strated the product more fully.

Retailer's cart: The Solution
Retailer: Esmeralda Serrant
Location: Arundel Mills, Hanover, MD
Devel./mgmt.: Simon Property Group
Entry submitted by: Roy Staeck, SPG
Visual merchandiser: Steve Lippert
This display goes from ho-hum to Wow!, thanks to the addition of some low-cost props and a big splash of color that matches the product. The beige shelves remain to make the product stand out, but off-kilter frames with textured squiggles and small, mirrored circles that match the new mirroring behind the product, turn this uniform, monochrome product into a cohesive display that shoppers can't miss.

Retailer's cart: Happy Dog's Tees
Retailer: Sal Saleh
Location: Rockaway Townsquare, Rockaway, NJ
Devel./mgmt.: Simon Property Group
Entry submitted by: JoAnn Bartoli, SPG
This retailer benefited from a move to a renovated part of the mall that included a new cart that doubled the retailer's selling space. Shelves allow brightly colored products to be displayed neatly and the panels above give the retailer the chance to display 36 T-shirt designs on one side, instead of 15 on the older unit. A wealth of accent lighting ensures this cart's product gets seen.

Retailer's store: Red Ginger Cosmetics
Retailer: Meishan Cheung
Location: Oakridge Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Devel./mgmt.: Ivanhoe Cambridge
Entry submitted by: Natalie Tan, Ivanhoe
Visual merchandiser: Natalie Tan
A stark, half-blank wall in the before photo turns into a brightly colored focal point after a display case is replaced by shelves that draw the eye to the back of the store. The yellow- accented shelves match the table in the foreground to connect the two visually and display the products in a much more attractive and functional way. The improvements were big but not costlyÑthe best kind of retail makeover there is!

BJ Morton
CBL

Jeff Golden
Bearhands

Joe Gerardi
Simon

Liad Biton
CSS Access

Linda Rienzo
Freemont Street

Michael Anderson
Macerich

Olympia Trencevski
Ivanhoe Cambridge

Pam Palmeri
Glimcher

Rebecca Wiltshire
Shoe MGK

Sebastien Gavillet
Sea Spa

Sue Stenerson
Glimcher