Client:  The Pennington Collection

Located in Northport, Michigan, this store brims with gifts, home décor, clothing, children’s books and souvenirs.  Over time, however, the shop had become crowded, over-fixtured and in need of a “refresh”.  A unique partnership between the owner, Windows Matter and Columbia College Chicago’s Fashion Studies students resulted in a one week, 3-credit Boot Camp.  Projects completed include: window displays, reorganization of block plan and fixture plan, new cashwrap, refinished fixtures and trend pads.

Client: Princess Flowers and Gifts

Princess Flowers and Gifts is a well-kept secret in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood. One could always find fresh flowers, gifts, piñatas and greeting cards IF one was willing to step inside a store with every available window space covered with signage, fixtures and or mylar gift wrap.  The lack of visibility both from the outside looking in and from the inside looking out impacted sales--potential customers couldn't see what the store carried and the sales staff felt isolated. It was time to open the windows to views inside and upgrade the signage. . . all the while planning next steps once the shop interior was visible.  Like so many small businesses in the area, fixturing was hodgepodge and inefficient.  In fact, we removed over 30% of the existing floor fixtures without losing any merchandising or stock space.  As a result, a flower arranging station was created near the shop entrance and the sales staff was able to relocate to the front of the shop (vs. adjacent to the floral coolers in the rear)  Better visibility, improved security, new customers.

Client: Delightful Pastries

Delightful Pastries produces award-winning croissants, mouthwatering savories and well, delightful, pastries.  The appearance of the original bakery and shop? Not as tempting.  New graphics, updated window propping and enhanced interior imagery created a fresh look for this Chicago destination.

Client: The Chicago Weaving School

When an arts-based business quadruples its studio size and when that now-much-larger arts business is at a major intersection, there needs to be brand identity that is clear, creative and highly visible.  At the same time, that signage needed to allow pedestrians and drivers to glimpse inside this colorful, loom-filled space.  The corner glass became the canvas for a distinctive logo and the increased visibility has brought additional traffic to the studio as well as social media sites.

Client: Belding Elementary Pre-K

It’s not uncommon for day care centers and other child-centered locations to feature juvenile imagery—Muppets, ABCs, etc. in primary colors.  However, this exterior mural employed students’ actual artwork to create a cheerful, school-specific mural across the windows.  Windows Matter culled images and created a palette which referenced (but did not recreate) the typical red/yellow/blue assortment. Volunteers completed the mural in a Saturday am and enjoyed the delighted squeals of students and parents on Monday.

This project was done in partnership with Northwest Arts Connection.

Client: S&P Jewelers

The exterior of this 3rd generation family jeweler did not reflect the quality of workmanship or merchandise offered. While there were limited opportunities to reconfigure or alter the interior,  a signage upgrade and window propping were in order.

This project was done in partnership with Six Corners Association, a Main Street Community.

Client: Today’s Avon

A freestanding Avon retailer, this location struggled with harsh western light, competing merchandise categories and inconsistent signage.  Windows Matter switched the old blinds with a fuchsia band across the windows to add impact to the storefront as well as reducing damage to fragrance and cosmetics from sunlight.  New, consistent signage in the store’s font helped unify the exterior messaging as well as improving sightlines.  

This project was done in partnership with Six Corners Association, a Main Street community.