Store Design: The Gotta-Haves and the Wanta-Haves

Years ago I was working in a small retail store design firm headed up by an experienced designer who had been around the block a few times and had a lot of hard-earned knowledge and valuable sage advice.

My job was to create hand-drawn illustrations of the stores he’d designed, and he’d use those sketches to help sell the projects. He would speak on the phone loud enough to overhear from where I sat. Often I would eavesdrop and frequently I’d pick up some unexpected nuggets of knowledge. One of the most quotable bits was when he said to a client on the phone, …..

“LOOK JACK, YOU’VE GOTTA KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE “GOTTA-HAVES AND WANTA-HAVES!”

 

What was he talking about?

The point my mentor was trying to make was that Jack needed to understand that there would be enough room in the budget to open a functioning store, so long as he understood that the essential “gotta-have” elements could not be pushed aside by the non-essential, but fun “wanta-have” elements. The essential items needed to remain at the top of the budget, and the “wanta-have” elements belonged further down the list where they were better suited for budget cuts.

The “gotta-haves” include elements such as a sales counter, cash register, wall fixtures, floor fixtures, a lighting system, any needed electrical modifications, a ceiling system, a flooring surface, paint, a sign, and any required engineering costs. I list these as the “gotta-have” elements because you can’t open a store without them.

The “gotta-have / wanta have” advice is a good lesson to learn for both store owners and store designers. In time, as I started creating stores for my own clients, I realized my mentor had given me some sound advice that I still use to this day.