subject: 100,000 Remodel Turns Newsstand Into Full-Fledged Convenience Store [print this page] 100,000 Remodel Turns Newsstand Into Full-Fledged Convenience Store
MAYWOOD, N.J. - Once viewed as an eyesore by some, the newly remodeled Quick Stop in an upper middle class neighborhood here has been transformed into a retail gem.
Following a dramatic interior and exterior make over, this once oversized newsstand is now a full - service convenience store. While there is still a strong emphasis on newspapers and magazines, new product offerings include made-to-order sandwiches, salads, ice cream, hot dogs, frozen foods, limited groceries, fountain sadas, coffee, beer and wine.
"We needed to reinforce the existing extensive magazine business and introduce a new product mix that would attract a new clientele," said Dinesh Doshi, president of Architectonics International, Inc., an interior design firm based in Hicksville, N.Y.
The narrow 1,200 square foot store posed numerous merchandising and decor challenges for Doshi. To avoid clutter, he designed a planogram that makes maximum use of wall display space and has only three free-standing gondolas, two for groceries and one for the coffee station.
"To reduce the bowling alley effect, we installed these gondolas at angles while making sure not to detract from the straight line to the cooler from the front door," Doshi said
The black and white checkered floor, also diagonally laid, further invites and draws the customers into the depths of the store, he noted.
Doshi also designed the deli and checkout areas to allow employees more freedom of movement. With the higher volumes generated by the redesign there are now usually two employees, instead of one, working each shift. The checkout counter and deli are located next to each other, making it easy for one person to service customers in both areas during off-peak hours.
The original poor lighting and limited space also persuaded Doshi to install a mirrored ceiling and use neon lighting to create an illusion of space and a warmer, more inviting shopping environment. Aside from being aesthetically appealing, the mirrored ceiling also increased the store's visual height and depth while enhancing store clerks to monitor the store.
The black and white colors of the store are softened with pink and blue neon lighting that - when reflected in the mirrored ceiling - lend the store a warm hue. Pink scripted neon is used to define product categories and blue neon striping borders the ceiling around the perimeter of the store.
"The neon lighting has given a clean, fresh and upbeat air to a store that has been virtually unchanged for 20 years," Doshi said. "The neon product graphics were also a very practical way of promoting a new diversified product mix."
The exterior, while not as severely altered as the interior, was refinished with synthetic stucco; the Quick Stop name hangs above the front door in neon script. A diamond-shaped fascia was mounted above the front door to give height to the relatively short building.
Four months and $100,000 later Mohmed Shah, the owner of this family business, said the remodel was a worthy investment as sales, profits, and customer traffic have more than doubled. He would not, however, reveal any sales figures.
"From a business point of view, my total investment in the project was maximized by teaming up with professionals who enhanced my business beyond my expectation," Shah said."Although it is a small store, the new design has given a distinct perception of space."
Of the $100,000 price tag, about $60,000 is attributed to construction costs and the balance was to purchase new equipment including new coolers, a freezer, a deli display case and other deli equipment, a soda fountain and new displays, Doshi said.
During the redesign, Shah had to make some difficult merchandising decisions, particularly pertaining to his adult magazine line, which he was unwilling to relinquish and risk alienating the loyal clientele he had developed over 20 years.
Instead, Shah had a small room in the rear of the store built to specifically merchandise the adult magazines and minimize the chance of offending new customers. A diagonal mirror was also installed in a corner of the room so that a clerk at the front of the store can monitor the section.
"The established customers for adult magazines needed to be served and we looked at this as a continuing service without advertising or pronouncing it." Shah Said
Although the magazines were given a new location, Shah said sales so far have remained stable.[]
