"FALL BACK INTO SCHOOL"

Apricot Lane is a boutique located in Uptown Normal.  The window displays immediately draw my attention with all the latest "fall" trends.  Apricot lane obviously knows there cliental (college students) and is targeting them with fall colors and styles of back to school.  They also incorporated this with the use of hanging pencils. ? Apricot lane is unique walking down this street due to its location being on the very corner and being able to utilize side window displays as well to bring in customers. The displays are very balanced with four windows all together and two mannequins on each display.  They put a lot of emphasis on their merchandise with the windows simplicity.  Which in this case is positive due to the fashion already being trendy statements.  Overall, the equality of the visual weight in the displays are distributed evenly and scaled correctly minus one particular thing...the pencils!  I get it goes back to the "back to school theme" however, you cannot really see it from afar, and at first was a bit confusing.  It is very small and unusual to be hung and stuck in clothing the way it was.  It takes away from the overall flow and "look" of the store.  I really didn't like that at all.  However, all together I believe they did a great job displaying the fall merchandise in a simplistic yet trendy manner.  If you have not been to Apricot Lane, I would strongly suggest shopping here!

"BRINGING COMICS TO LIFE"

Acme Comics is located in Uptown Normal.  First off, how cute is this outside display!  I never read comics but maybe I'm missing out....   Anyways, I love how they brought the feeling of the store outside.  This will definitely catch the attention of a comic book lover, and perhaps create a new one.  It is almost as if comic book fans are personally selling you these selected books.  It makes you want to see what they have to offer.  I believe this display is very balanced.  The outside display is not fully covering the window.  The mannequin and the shelf have similar heights as to the mannequin sitting down next to the cart.  The whole window display shows unity and emphasizes a lifestyle.   Any one who was browsing the area took a look into the store!  With the attire of the mannequins to the signage and merchandise, it brought the comics to life!

"COLOR ME CRAZY"

 This wall is located on the side of The Pod, in
Uptown Normal.  Every time I walk down this street this is the first thing I notice.  It is so fun and inspirational!  It is full of symbolism and abstract artwork.  It makes you want to take a closer look and find out what all these designs really are!  This is definitely something that turns interested pedestrians into customers!




When the walking pedestrian comes and takes a closer look you can see that the crazy/fun/ and abstract paintings correlate perfectly to the artistic flare of the actual store.  One can say "it's a little too much" or "it's a bit cluttery" however, I believe that is the stores identity and what makes it so unique and appealing to customers.  When you look at this display I believe I can find something that I cannot really find anywhere else.  Even with all the merchandise I can still see many vertical lines and there is still a rhythm and flow from the merchandise hung from the ceiling to the table.  They could have done a better job making more of the items flow, or emphasizing a certain piece to make something pop out.  But overall, I think this store and window is very unique and creative.



"LIFE CAN GET MESSY SOMETIMES"

 

This window display is from The Garlic Press in Uptown Normal.  The powerful colors immediately popped out at me and caught my attention.  They matched the colors of the bowls and kitchenwear to the cute/fun apron!  "Life can get a little messy sometimes" is relatable to any person who has ever been in a kitchen cooking!  The whole window promotes a lifestyle.   The kitchen is always a messy place, but with these organized bowls and utensils and cute apron; it will relieve the stress of messiness and promote a fun lifestyle in the kitchen!  Each bowl is properly sized from big to small and every item is in scale to the size of the window.  Even with everything going on and plates hanging from the ceiling it still seems to be organized and have rhythm.  They emphasized this window with powerful colors and repetition through bowls and kitchen utensils.  Overall, this window promotes a creative and fun way to cook!