The document summarizes the author's observations from visiting five stores in downtown Montpelier, Vermont on Main Street: an art store, book store, stationary store, clothing store, and drug store. The author notes several themes including that most buildings date to the 19th century, signage choices, themes in store windows, what products are featured prominently, and opportunities for improving storage and display strategies in the small stores with limited space.

1. “ Are You Paying Attention”
Tina Seelig’s Crash
course on creativity
offered through
Venture Lab
Submitted by
Assignment # 2
Alisa Dworsky

2. Main Street, Montpelier VT
Downtown is defined I live in the
by the streets “State” countries smallest
and “Main” state capital-
population 8000
I Know the owners
Most of the buildings of all of the stores
date to the 19th visited for this
century and have brick project with the
facades. exception of the
Rite Aid
The art store smells
I visited and observed of pencils, the
5 stores on Main books store of dust,
street: the art store , a the stationers of
book store, the candles, the
stationary store, a clothing store of
clothing store and a incense and the
drug store. drug store of
cleaning agents.

3. Signage
Pink and Red are
popular signage
choices in this
town.
The Rite aid
building and
signage Breaks with
the pattern of 19th
century storefronts
in town.

4. The door is always open except at Rite Aid
Its unusually warm
for October. Rite aid
is “climate
controlled” and
therefore the door
is closed- everyone
else is enjoying the
effects of global
warming and
keeping the door
open

5. The store window seasonal theme
Halloween!
Storefronts reflect
back messages to
the community.
Most stores will be
welcoming kids
trick or treating on
Halloween.

6. Packed and Cluttered
Every store in
downtown
Montpelier
Vermont is packed
with things. The
stores are relatively
small. They have
very little storage
because their
basements flooded
in “Irene”.
There is an
opportunity to
bring more clarity
and elegance to the
presentation of
products through
improving display
strategies and
improving storage
options.

7. Featured Products …buy buy buy
Xmas gifts, best
sellers, Xmas
wrapping paper and
Candy….tis the
season!
Featured Items
The opportunity is to are always
design a changeable, placed in the
elegant platform, a path of the
stage set for featured customer near
products, that can be the front door.
adjusted and viewed
from all directions.

8. In the back
What I found in the
back of the stores
were
books on sports
Incense
hallmark cards
and frames. Does
that mean we like
these things less or
are we more private
about them?
Perhaps we are
more persistent and
directed in finding
those products and
the retailers know
this?

9. Impulse Buy
What do Stephen
Colbert, Candy,
Moleskine
notebooks and
bracelets have in
common?

10. Opportunities
The design of a display Efficient, affordable
system for featured and elegant storage
products that options because
•can be viewed from all
small stores need
directions
•Is simple and elegant to reduce clutter,
• can change its increase storage
configuration, like a stage set, and streamline
to add theatricality, allow
flexibility and keep customers
visibility in the
engaged. space.
Charles and
Ray Eames
Shelves-
flexible
storage and
display all in
Take the flexibility and
one. A good
drama in Robert Lepage’s
precedent.
sets and apply it to retail
display systems.