According to Enterprise Melbourne, the city “has experienced a period of increased investment, retail growth and an explosion of retail-led creativity over the past three years.”
For a sector that is currently battling against its competitors and the online world, Melbourne retailers are doing something right in keeping their doors open and business booming.
A big portion of Melbourne retailers’ success is due to central Melbourne’s niche market. Melbournians love their boutiques and the interior design sector and retailers are clever enough to know that the right shop front is half the battle in making a successful sale.
While certain products will gain brand loyalty, it is the overall design of a shop that encourages shoppers to enter the premises in the first place.
Carlton’s Baker D. Chirico offers to deliver equal doses of storefront appeal and loyalty-inspiring brands. Mixing a popular brand with new and chic urban digs, the bakery has found a recipe for success with its latest store.
One reviewer from Urban Spoon labels it ‘the best bakery around’ and further states it was ‘nice to see people take such care and pride in their work.’ This pride of place is mimicked in the store’s uniquely urban design.
Designed by March Studio a holistic approach was the only route for Baker. D Chirico. Functionality took precedence and stands as one of the most striking features of the narrow shop. ‘bread basket’ inspiration has brought about an undulating, plywood wall unit that creeps across the roof and down the left hand side wall, complementing the colours of the bread and offering a strong juxtaposition with the partially exposed concrete wall opposite.
It becomes very easy to do something amazing, because it becomes about celebrating the product or the produce,” says principal architect Rodney Eggleston. “We try to elevate the product beyond the store and the store then becomes a vessel to, really, carry the produce.”
Paying homage to the true nature of the space, a glass door separates front and back of house, allowing for a visual communication between the work and sale spaces, truly emphasising the bakers’ pride of place.
Serving as a frame for what is truly a stunning picture, a large shop front window reveals the jumble of old and new that winds its way through the interiors.
Retailers are going back to their roots, aided by interior designers in offering that age-old shopping experience. The communication between baker’s floor and shop front means that shopping for the most mundane of products – bread – can be turned into an experience.
The shop serves as a prime example of clever design, allowing it to highlight why Melbourne retail is so successful.
