Retail Beautification

Transcription

1 Downtown Idea Book: Retail Beautification Fifty ideas you can implement in your downtown to increase retail spending.

2 1. Cities should be charged with curbside beautification, merchants with facades. This shows the street before beautification. This is after. The city put in street trees and planters. Merchants beautified the building side. Notice how it has softer lines and a more welcoming feel. 1

3 2. Medians should always be landscaped. 3. Wind instruments like this are a fantastic way to draw attention and life. Smaller wind instruments can even be placed in pots and planters in the winter months. 2

4 4. Whenever possible, create buffers between traffic and pedestrians. Here is a landscaping buffer. In this example, pots have been used to create a buffer. 3

5 5. Whenever possible, narrow the streets and widen the sidewalks. More and more cities are turning streets like this. Into this. Notice the narrower street, wide sidewalks and pedestrian spaces. 4

6 6. Create vendor space for artisans, musicians, food trucks, retail vendors. 7. Create space for sidewalk cafe dining. 5

7 8. Add street trees every 30 to 35 (10 meters) 9. Develop fences like this to screen vacant lots. 6

8 10. Consider an air curtain so you can have the door open in winter. Open doors say welcome! and Yes, we re open! Silk plants and flowers are fine in the winter months. 7

9 11. Consider public/private partnership funding. This photo shows before the beautification effort (both public and private funding). This is after beautification, and resulted in a retail sales increase of 400%! 8

10 12. Rooftop gardens, like this, are great for multi-story buildings. They are beautiful and add color and ambiance. 13. Picket, and similar style fencing, creates a sense of intimacy. (No chain link fencing anywhere downtown!) 9

11 Before: Asphalt to the cafe. After: Trees, cafe dining, Catalina-style umbrellas. The outdoor seating and plants are far more welcoming. Awnings are also part of beautification and facade improvements. 10

12 16. When there s not much room, inset window boxes work perfectly. 17. Alleyways can become gathering places. Adding seating and planters makes an otherwise unused space inviting. 11

13 Change by the season. Winter is no excuse to stop beautification efforts. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and winter décor will show visitors you re open and invite them in. Consider a scarecrow festival. This town is packed all of October. Consider other seasonal options as well. 12

14 20. Hay bales are a terrific prop for fall displays. 21. Cornstalks around posts and lamp poles also add fall appeal. 13

15 22. Two feet should be reserved for beautification, retail displays. 23. Use a combination of window boxes and planters. 14

16 24. Benches should ALWAYS be at the facade facing out. 25. Every retail shop should include at least one bench, flanked with planters. Give people places to stop and rest. 15

17 26. If not benches, incorporate seating that fits your motif. But always include seating. 27. Benches should always be flanked with pots or planters. 16

18 28. Use pinwheels and motion elements to draw attention, making it fun. 29. Even the use of bicycles as display props can add beautification. 17

19 30. You need to make a statement. Multiple pots or large ones, as you see here work well. 31. Even the use of birdhouses can add interest and curiosity. 18

20 Consider a buying co-op program & youth assistance. Youth groups planted these and maintain them, giving them ownership in the community. Work with auxiliary organizations on watering and maintenance. 19

21 34. Add year-round LED soft-white lighting for a gentle glow and nice ambiance. 35. Hanging baskets over pots/planters saves water and gives it a place to land. 20

22 36. Extend window displays to exterior spaces. 37. Add menu boards to exterior spaces. These are not only decorative, but entice visitors to come in and try what they see. 21

23 38. Wheel barrows make great props! 39. Wagons are also great props. 22

24 40. Carts like this are also great props. 41. Avoid the garage sale look! 23

25 42. Avoid Coke/Pepsi and other vending machines. This is terrific - except for that. 43. Add tables and chairs - even if you re not a restaurant or coffee shop. 24

26 44. Bring your artisans outside. It adds life and increases sales. 45. Never more than four posters and fliers in your windows! This looks cluttered and messy. 25

27 46. Even bike racks can be part of your beautification efforts. 47. Have fun with it! Think seasonal, think interesting, think fun. 26

28 48. If you have no curbs, add large pots as a buffer and transition. 49. Start with just one block. You don t have to redesign your entire downtown all at once. Start small and go from there. 27

29 50. Nothing has a quicker return on investment than beautification. 28

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