Athlete's Foot for Her

Catering to today's active woman, a new 2860-square-feet Athlete's Foot for Her store at Opry Mills in Nashville, Tenn., offers a variety of shoes arranged in six lifestyle vignettes for running, workout, walking, team sports, leisure and girls. While shoe stores traditionally feature a large display wall with many unreachable shoes, this one puts the displayed products at fingertip level, so customers can pick up and examine them closely. Most shoes are displayed on nesting tables at the back of each seating unit (with one unit per lifestyle display). Each unit also has a built-in foot massager. Accessories and health products are arranged in the center of the store, where the cashwrap is located.

The Athlete's Foot signature colors of blue and yellow are used for accent against a background of white and metallic finishes. “Lifestyle” graphics showing attractive athletic women using the shoes for specific activities key each vignette, adding visual energy to the store. The materials palette supports the sleekly modern design concept, combining pale laminates, glossy sheet-vinyl flooring, industrial-look carpeting, stainless-steel fixture supports and surfaces, and “high-tech” dot-pattern inserts.

Client Team: The Athletes'Foot Group, Kennesaw, Ga. — Bob Corliss, ceo; Tim Brannon, senior vp, stores Design Team: Schafer, Oak Park, Ill. — Bob Schafer, ceo; Beth Howley, principal-in-charge; Corbin Pulliam, senior designer; Jeri Bademian-Elsie, color and materials; Jamal Oliver, director of graphics; Walter Plavsic, project manager

Outside Consultants: Intuisis, Oak Park, Ill. (graphics); Ridgeland Architects, Oak Park, Ill. (architect); Horizon Retail Construction, Racine, Wis. (general contractor)

Suppliers: Monterey Carpets, Santa Ana, Calif. (carpet); Lonseal, Carson, Calif. (sheet vinyl); , Grayslake, Ill. (graphics); Hubbell Lighting, Christianburg, Va., Lightolier, Fall River, Mass. (lighting) Abet Laminati, Englewood, N.J. (laminate) Photography: Charlie Mayer, Chicago