Bringing it back home

Bringing it back home
In its latest store prototype, Orchard Supply Hardware evokes the past to evolve into the future

By Erin M. Loewe
February 12, 2010

Laszlo Regos Photography, Berkley, Mich.

What started as a farm supply cooperative in San Jose, Calif., in 1931 has today grown into the 88-store hardware and home improvement California chain Orchard Supply Hardware.
The newest addition to the chain’s store roster is a groundbreaking 48,000-sq.-ft. prototype in Santa Rosa, Calif., which opened in September 2009 and is the result of a partnership with Southfield, Mich.-based design firm JGA Inc. “It is completely different, from fixture layout, to coloration, to materials, to a brand new logo,” says Janis Healy, associate vice president for visual merchandising and store design at Orchard Supply. “The color teal, which was predominate in our stores and branding in the past, has been completely eliminated and replaced with warm tones of primary colors.”

The new color and materials palette helps customers navigate the “neighborhoods” of the new store. Golden beadboard identifies Indoors, and brick red accents and flake board are used for Hardware and Tools. The Outdoors section evokes a garden vibe with green tones, along with corrugated and galvanized metals.

Ken Nisch, chairman of JGA, says every detail was thought out, down to the indicator lights in the checkout area, which are mounted inside inverted shovels. Clever measuring tape inch marks add a subtle hardware touch to bold aisle signs. The design team used creative overhead elements to pull customers toward the different service points. “There are ‘stay mobiles’ hanging in various areas throughout the store,” Nisch says. “The paint area features hanging paint can lids, the indoor ‘garden shed’ has watering cans and shovels, and the hardware area has a toolbox theme.”

Not normally found in home improvement stores, there are a number of pylons throughout the space with large-scale graphics and emotive quotes. “I think these raise the experience of a hardware store to a new esoteric level,” Nisch says. “Quotes around gardening, hardware and tools add a bit of gravitas to the basic world of shopping.”

From the time customers enter the store, it is clear that Orchard Supply’s history is on display as well. A 1946 Chevrolet truck similar to the ones the founding members would have used functions as a promotional and seasonal display area. Wooden orchard crates act as fixtures for a variety of products as well. Large-scale, vintage photos hang overhead to decorate the store’s landscape. In keeping with the store’s rustic look, the majority of the floors are a polished concrete, but vinyl flooring in the paint service and industrial cutting areas serves to complement the minimalist feel.

“Our heritage is very important to us and is recognized by our existing customer base,” Healy explains. “As we expand into new markets, we feel it is important for the customer to understand that we have been doing this for a long time, that we have a proven track record with our customers.”

Orchard Supply’s prototype also strives to be environmentally responsible. According to Nisch, simple decisions like keeping many of the materials in their natural state and using clear fixture finishes helped make the store greener. The prototype also boasts a water reclamation system. Healy says the store’s lighting control system—which includes pendants, track lighting and high-efficiency fluorescents—works in conjunction with the skylights to decrease energy use. Consequently, this Orchard Supply Hardware store received a carbon-neutral footprint rating from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E).

Tom Carey, chief marketing officer at Orchard Supply, says customer response has been positive, but different depending on the customer type. “The female segments of our base in particular like the warmer, easy-to-shop aspects of the new store décor and layout,” he explains. “The male customers are equally enthusiastic, but they seem to react to those aspects of the store that signal the authentic nature of a true hardware feel—especially the heritage cues, like the 1946 Chevy truck.”

Healy notes that her favorite part of the store is not any one design piece, but the way all of the elements work together to create a seamless, comfortable shopping environment. “It’s the blending of heritage and innovation,” she says. “It’s the way the whole package works together.”