by Jo Rossman

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For its new prototype store, Pablosky, a Spanish brand of upscale shoes for children and teenagers, turned to Grottini. The design/build company's team of Keith Gibson, Paolo Tiani, and Pravin Solanki designed a space to meet several retail needs:

• A uniform fixturing system without a uniform store aesthetic
• Visual interest for both children and adults with intuitive traffic flow
• Flexibility for merchandise changes

With a simple, straightforward floor plan, the new design uses color and form variations to create interest and flow. Use of the same interchangable shoe mount for both wall fixtures and the gondola display system—a "bike pedal" symbolizing form and function—enables easy merchandise changes.

Backlit plexiglass dotted with "shoestring rivets" frames wall fixtures, focusing attention on the products repeated against a glossy white golfball-textured backdrop. Rivets are repeated in the cashwrap and floor fixtures. Child-scaled cutouts in the floor fixtures open up sightlines while referencing the Pablosky brand logo of colored squares with holes.

Fixture detailing creates a playful atmosphere for all ages. With the purchase of each pair, the child receives a token that can be exchanged for a Pablosky brand superball from the tubes above the back wall display.

In addition to bench seating, cushioned cubes on wheels are linked like a train to evoke playfulness and to allow for mobility.

The meter mirror invites children to interact with the store environment while subtly reminding parents of the needs of growing feet.

LCD screens reinforce marketing messages, and signage on the cashwrap encourages parents to learn about the brand's focus on shoes that allow natural growth of the feet.

Pablosky plans to open 100 new vendor shops throughout Spain during the next five years and to remodel 90 stores worldwide during the next two years using the new design.