Roomplace Gets a Fresh Look with Market-Dominating Store Design in Indianapolis

September 1, 2017  by Larry Thomas in Display, Industry   

Bruce Berman chairman of the 25-store chain said, “We see this new store, and in particular the new warehouse here, as being the key to us being able to dominate the Indianapolis market. For years we’ve just been using a local architect to do whatever was needed to get new stores ready to open.”

But, when discussing what was needed for a new look moving forward, Berman said  “We went with Connie Post and her Affordable Design team based on previous successes with her and because I felt she was someone who would be able to create the iconic elements we needed to help reinforce our brand throughout the chain without having to do complete remodels to all the stores.”

Chief among the wow-factors in the new store, that will likely appear throughout the chain, is a show-stopping power aisle that RoomPlace chief executive Paul Adams calls “eye-popping.”

To achieve an urban industrial vibe that both suited and brought excitement to the inner-city neighborhood, the Affordable Design team stacked 168 shipping pallets in a stair-stepped design and topped the stacks with light green plexi-glass.  The presentation is lit from above with modern drum shades that play off the brand’s blue/green logo.

“The pallets form a fashion runway down the center of the store on which we display cool products,” said Connie Post, principal Connie Post Affordable Design.

Elsewhere in the 70,000 square-foot store, the brand colors make a statement with a fresh service counter design in blue laminate with a lit RoomPlace logo above and blue-glass walls in the sales office.

Post’s signature built-in fireplaces are found throughout the lifestyle environments that Berman says adds an inspirational feel. Another exclusive to Post are the Connie Post Selects decorative accessory pods by Moe’s Home Collection, which are positioned throughout the store.

“I’m a big believer in the idea that architecture should support the furniture, not become the story, and in the end the store absolutely sparkles. Indianapolis has been missing an inspirational, aspirational store and now RoomPlace fulfills that need,“ said Adams.

“There is something to see everywhere you turn, but it’s not overwhelming. The space is easy to walk and work, with great visibility and people are excited to see what’s next,” Adams continued.

“When I first started in the business years ago, stores like ours were doing 3 or 4 percent of their business in bedding,” Berman relates, “and we found out that we were missing a giant opportunity. In the same way that bedding is a very important category in furniture stores now, we think that decorative accessories are the next big opportunity for growth. At RoomPlace, up to this point, we’ve been selling accessories almost by accident. Now, thanks to Connie, our presentation on the decorative side is a lot more like what you see in the lifestyle-type stores.”