Most Innovative Showroom or use of Displays
First place: Grande Central Showroom at Park
Big Apple Showroom Makes Most Out of Small Space in
Short Time
If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. Well, in less
than one year, Grande Central Showroom at Park has made a strong
impression on the Big Apple.
In fact, its ambitious displays and its ambition, period are
what garnered the Park Avenue showroom first place in K&BDN’s
2003 Industry Leadership Awards in the category of Most Innovative
Showroom or Use of Displays.
The approximately 750-sq.-ft. Grande Central Showroom is a
subsidiary of Central Plumbing Specialties, a long-established
plumbing wholesale business owned by Howard and Warren Frankel that
is located next door. Richard (Buddy) McMahon is the showroom’s
general manager, and Victoria Coffey is the assistant showroom
manager.
McMahon, a long-time industry veteran from Washington, DC, had
quite a task when he came on board with Grande Central in December
2002. “He was charged with the task of creating the showroom in a
relatively small space,” comments Julie Ballard with MGM Sales,
Inc. in Randolph, NJ. Teaming with Coffey, an associate he brought
into the project, the two designed the space and the displays,” she
adds.
Ballard nominated Grande Central for the honor, but was not
alone. Paul Korman of Paul Korman Sales Agency, Inc. in Hicksville,
NY, and Tim Maicher, product director/luxury brands for the
American Standard Design Center in Piscataway, NJ, also nominated
Grande Central because of the showroom’s innovation within a small
space and the short time allotted to pull it together.
Indeed, McMahon and Coffey rose to the challenge and devised a
showroom layout befitting the firm’s Park Avenue address. To that
end, there is a live shower module, a powder room that doubles as a
display, curvy glass desks that lend a spacious, yet cozy feel, and
a live kitchen display that uses drawers to house additional
kitchen faucet and accessory ideas.
“The showroom will be able to tap into an existing customer base
of plumbing contractors, and it is sure to draw crowds of
renovators in the immediate area [and beyond],” adds Ballard.
Second place: Kitchens by Deane
Stamford, CT Showroom Conveys Diversity, Creativity Via
Displays
Serving high-end clientele demands a commitment to staying on
the leading edge of design, and that’s a demand Kitchens by Deane
meets each day with its flagship showroom in Stamford, CT.
In fact, that’s why the firm took second place in K&BDN’s
2003 Industry Leadership Awards in the category of Most Innovative
Showroom or Use of Displays.
The Stamford showroom makes full use of its corner location and
resulting two glass walls. “The glass frontage allows for great
views from the road, showcasing many displays,” notes Robert
Minicus of Minicus and Linder, also in Stamford. He’s part of the
42-year-old company’s marketing firm.
The showroom features 23 displays, including two complete
working kitchens and several other working appliances and fixtures
to offer clients a full, live experience. A working home theater
display and working pub display are also part of the Stamford
site.
“The overall collection of a myriad of styles and archetypes in
‘environments,’ not vignettes, makes the showroom unique,” stresses
Minicus.
Indeed, the showroom features styles ranging from traditional to
ultra modern. In addition, it is designed in a circle, pulling
clients “fluidly” around the space, tempting them with what’s
“around
the bend.”
Kitchens by Deane also maintains a satellite showroom in New
Canaan, CT. Both showrooms offer such diverse product lines as DBS,
La Cornue and Pyro Lave, to name a few.
Third place (TIE): SouthEast Appliance Distributing
Showroom Offers Unique Resource for Consumers and the
Trade
Billed as a resource center for consumers, builders and
specifiers, the SouthEast Appliance Distributing showroom, based in
Charlotte, NC, has become a “destination spot.” Located in the
Historic South End of Charlotte as part of the Design Center (a
building that houses a host of design-related businesses), the
4,126-sq.-ft showroom features a variety of displays showcasing
over 80 different appliances, including the company’s three
exclusive product lines Viking Range Corp., Franke and Miele.
Designed to allow visitors to “test drive” live appliances as
well as view high-end cabinetry, marble, granite, tile, lighting
and flooring from around the world in real kitchen settings, the
showroom integrates unique viewing areas, including a “Pod”-style
ring that enables customers to see the entire showroom from the
elevated reception area.
The overall effect is so impressive, it won the company
third-place honors in K&BDN’s 2003 Industry Leadership Awards
in the category of Most Innovative Showroom or Use of Displays.
Aiding the company’s mission is a main live kitchen, which
includes a 26-ft. island used for live-cooking demonstrations and
consumer use-and-care classes. Perhaps the most unique aspects of
the showroom, however, are two areas created to display the
potential of appliances not only in the kitchen, but throughout the
home.
The “Havanna Club,” a room designed as a study, looks out onto
the courtyard and features wine storage, a coffee system and
icemaker. The live outdoor kitchen features grills, wok cookers,
warming drawers and built-in storage drawers, among others.
State-of-the-art camera equipment is also utilized for
demonstrations and training classes.
Third place (TIE): Apex Cabinet Co.
Location, Selection Highlight Appeal of Newly Opened
Showroom
By moving his showroom from a location it had occupied for some
30 years to a newly built warehouse, office and showroom facility,
Nick Sennert of Apex, NC-based Apex Cabinet Co. believes that he
has found a home. Now, he wants his showroom to be home to his
clients.
Part of “The Research Triangle,” a research park rife with
educated and discriminating clients, the showroom utilizes a
“design hub” (complete with dark wood tones and strong lighting) at
the center of its display area to create a comfortable selling and
purchasing environment, notes Rick Jordan of Charlotte, NC-based
Jordan Marketing Services.
Says Jordan about the 5,000-sq.-ft. showroom: “It reflects the
company’s commitment to excellence and the pathway to bring
excellence into a home.”
In fact, it is this commitment to excellence that has earned
Apex Cabinet third-place honors in K&BDN’s 2003 Industry
Leadership Awards in the category of Most Innovative Showroom or
Use of Displays.
For instance, Jordan points out, the showroom is home to 29
independent vignettes ranging from simple to extravagant and offers
a host of high-end product lines, including Aristokraft, Decora,
Diamond and Mouser.
“The layout has addressed current consumer demand by
merchandising within the context of price, capability and
innovation in design. By radiating around the design hub, product
placement helps to qualify buyers without isolating them,” he
adds.
Jordan concludes: “It appeals to consumers at every level of the
price spectrum, with products that demonstrate quality in an
environment that focuses on the finished effect in their home.”