The new store would need to showcase hundreds of small animal items (food, pet toys etc), while also allowing for a natural flow of foot traffic, says Spaceworks retail design team manager Christy Ormand.
It also had to be cheap, given that the SPCA relies on donations and benefactors for much of its funding. The design team collaborated with contractors for special price, gathered goodwill products and services, and got to work thinking outside the square for low-cost ideas.
There were a few design challenges along the way, Ormand says, including the room’s low ceilings and lack of natural daylight. Spaceworks stuck to a light, neutral colour palette for the walls and ceilings to expand the space visually, and delineated areas within the store with pops of bright colours.
Products are now easier to find and much more accessible to shoppers, she says.
Tree graphics splayed across the ceiling and the use of the colour green throughout the store give reference to the outdoor environment, Ormand says.
And the team had fun designing these storage containers, creating wooden cubes with cut-out silhouettes of household pets.
