Consider designing a play area for your store.
Designing a children's store requires considering two demographics: your actual clients -- the parents -- and the children who accompany them. Keep your design child-safe to make parents feel at ease with their purchases. A child-friendly store also places some products at children's eye level, which can draw their attention and allow the children to direct their parents toward potential purchases. Visit other children's stores in your area to see what you like and dislike about their designs, and if you have children of your own, note which displays attract them most.
Instructions
1. Measure the dimensions of your store area with a tape measure. If you are simply in the planning stage and don't have a venue yet, look at a few potential spaces and estimate a size based on these areas.
2. Draw the outline of your store's floor area on a piece of paper, using 1 inch to represent each foot of space. Use a ruler to make the drawing as accurate as possible. If your paper is not big enough for this, use 1/2 inch per foot instead.
3. Divide the store into areas for the items you want to sell, such as clothing, toys and books. If you are selling to a range of ages, divide the store by age group instead, such as babies, toddlers, children and tweens. Mark these areas out on your drawing using the same scale (1 or 1/2 inch equals 1 foot) as before.
4. Choose display racks and shelves based on your specific inventory's needs, such as bookshelves or clothing racks. Make sure you have the ability to display merchandise at both child and adult eye level. Also check with the rack and shelf manufacturers to ensure the items are child-safe and do not contain sharp corners or small pieces that may fall off. Add these to your drawing, making sure to leave at least 32 inches of clearance around each item for accessibility.
5. Choose a color scheme for your store, using one main color, one secondary color and two or three accent colors. This will include wall paint, shelf paint, flooring and other displays. Color is a strong attractant for children, but it must be varied to hold their attention, according to Dr. Anna Franklin of the Surrey Baby Lab, who notes that infants respond to the differences between colors, but not different shades of the same color. Primary colors and secondary colors are equally appealing to kids, so feel free to use pink, purple, green and orange in addition to red, yellow and blue. Note the color for each area on your drawing.
6. Sketch any other necessary items onto your design, such as a check-out counter, a coloring table for waiting children or a toy testing area where kids can play. As with displays, allow 32 inches of clearance around all items.
7. Add notes or sketches of any signage you need for your store, such as signs to indicate the different age or product group areas. Choose colors for these signs that reflect your overall theme.
8. Note where all potential hazards are in your store design, such as power outlets, steps up or down and any place where a child might be hurt. Add safety railings, child gates and outlet covers to your design to ensure shopper safety while in your store.
