Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1119802
vendors and manufacturers have made, sourcing local options that come in at under cost, or suggesting tweaks and omissions based on the local climate. He also recommended high-impact, low- budget options: "Maybe you refresh the color palette, maybe it's new flooring. You can do a lot with paint color and signage, or changing the counter. You don't have to do a total ripdown." Think Like a Consumer The end goal of the remodel should be a store you love — and that custom- ers love to shop, too. For Beck's, that meant design ele- ments like a timeline wrapping the store's perimeter that recounts the retailer's 100-year-history and wood displays that tell the store's story and make it stand out from a "generic box" store — as well as grouping the mer- chandise to encourage additional sales. "As a retailer, I need to sell [my cus- tomers] two pairs of shoes, two pairs of insoles, three pairs of socks and a handbag, so my sales design needs to encompass that. A lot of people come up with cool designs, but the shoppabil- ity isn't there," Beck said. Beck-Gomez agreed: "The business comes first. You can bring in a designer with beautiful ideas, but it's a means to an end." At Valley Sole, customer focus has meant investing in weekly fresh flow- ers from a local florist and, on Pierce's r e c o m m e n d a t i o n , i n s t a l l i n g a n e w wine fridge and bar on the sales floor. McGinness said being able to offer cus- tomers a drink and a chance to sit and catch up is in keeping with the store's customer service mentality. (Valley Sole is a 4-time winner of Footwear Insight's Gold Medal Service Award.) "We want to be a place people would want to linger and hang out," she said. It sums up the spirit of the entire remodel, in fact. McGinness said, "You've got to be a place people want to come to." l 20 • Footwear Insight ~ May/June 2019 footwearinsight.com A remodeled display at New Balance Milwaukee. E n h a n c e d C o m f o r t From hitting the town to working your 8-to-5 and everything in between, our patented CellStretch ® comfort tech provides the stability and durability you need. 888.894.2668 | twistedx.com