Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/400168
30,000-square-feet emporium, and on a 20-by-12-foot screen at the back of the store. During shopping hours the glass walls slide open, making the store one with the street outside. "It's a carnival atmosphere," said Richard Altuna, an independent designer and retail strate- gist in Los Angeles, who worked with the Zahavis on the store's design. "People stop and stare, and most find their way into the store." Altuna has devised new concepts for the likes of Estée Lauder, Microsoft and Taco Bell. Inside, a suspended globe divided into 49 square components has an en- gine behind each square, powering them to pop out at varying times with displays of video programming and photos of customers, taken in the store. The photo backgrounds change, which helps keep things fresh for repeat customers. The store shelves teem with movie memo- rabilia, trophies fashioned like Oscar statuettes and bearing such inscriptions as "Best Dad," sports paraphernalia, T- shirts and the like, most of it California- themed. "The idea is to catch and keep the customer as long as possible, to en- courage and maximize the visit," said retail consultant Jeff Green, who heads an eponymous firm in Phoenix. "The longer they stay and the more involved they are, the more they will spend." Increasingly, the retailers are add- ing to the festive electricity with inter- active features of their own. Marilyn Monroe Spas, a fast-growing chain of nail and beauty spas, has video moni- tors throughout store that promote the glitz and glamour of traditional Holly- wood. And the Urban Decay cosmetics chain is planning a video display wall and an interactive photo booth. Some of the clothing stores provide adjustable lighting in the fitting rooms for effect. Interactivity of this type is no pre- requisite for successful retail, according to Altuna, but even retailers that do not incorporate multimedia in their concepts are making smarter design choices these days, he says. "They recog- nize the importance of design in captur- ing sales," Altuna said. They are using more-elegant materials and other appeal- ing motifs to attract attention, he says. La La Land, though, is unique, Al- tuna says. "It's pretty much over-the- top," he said. But then, this degree of theatrical razzmatazz is hardly out of place in this legendary Los Angeles neighborhood where La La Land sits, he says. After all, the site is less than a block from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where the Academy Awards take place year after year, and it is also near the Hollywood Wax Museum. S C T 30 S C T / N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4 r e T a i l i n g T o d a y The Duro-Last ® difference: More boots on the roof. We have a small army of trained technicians who are dedicated to one supreme objective. They make sure your Duro-Last roof is watertight and trouble-free. It takes boots on the roof to assure performance. That's why we can offer industry leading warranties – and that's the Duro-Last difference. Edge-to-Edge & Deck-to-Sky ™ "Duro-Last" and the "World's Best Roof" are registered marks owned by Duro-Last, Inc. Boots_QA/E2E_11.19.13_1 800-248-0280 Visit duro-last.com or call to find out more.