retail refresh

With a background in design and retail, I have spent over 15 years in the worlds of design, marketing and retail, primarily as the design director for Rockridge Home, an independently owned home, kitchen and gift store in the San Francisco Bay Area. My award-winning work at the store has been nationally recognized at the Retail Excellence Awards.

Visual Merchandising

Off the “page” and into the world; when marketing becomes three-dimensional – this is the art of visual merchandising! I blend the knowledge of retail, interior design and marketing to create powerful selling-scapes. Harmony is achieved through organization and visual clarity, inviting perspective customers. Accessibility and tactile interest engage and impress in an over-stimulating world, allowing for a pause…something we all crave. I bring this to spaces of all kinds through my consulting services and workshops on the following topics:

Store Layout & Product Display

I have an innate love of all things visual and this comes through in my displays. In retail there is a delicate balance of showy, elegance and functional, shop-ability. Too much refinement and a display looks untouchable and therefore becomes unsaleable. But without some art the merchandise falls flat, just another pile of stuff. I love the challenge of walking this line. Drawing the eye with color, form and light and then welcoming the customer to explore, to touch and inevitably, to buy.

“Sometimes we get so used to seeing something the way it is that it becomes almost invisible to us. I also was happy to hear suggestions that were practical and realistic… Real world experience makes all the difference.”

Client – Alison Moreno, Ecology Center Store

Window Display

I believe a successful retail window should be like a painting; color, form and texture all telling a story. For years I’ve been designing windows in a space that is narrow, viewed from front and back, and the window slides open… so nothing that is too valuable can go in it. With these challenges I opt for displays that rely on interesting groupings of product. I use almost no props and little rigging, so it’s easy to dismantle quickly. Unlike in-store displays, window displays don’t require customer access so the imagination can be unleashed!

Looking for some inspiration?

Wholesale Buying

Want to create a 12-month buying plan? Need help prepping for the trade show? Hate walking the shows and want someone else to do it for you?

I can help!

I have attended trade shows all over the country as a wholesale buyer and I know how to navigate the complex relationships of manufacturers, sales reps, distributors and retailers. Amidst all the pitches I can help you learn how to keep your store’s design and best interests in mind.