From left: M. Beavers, D. Finkell, J. Tice, Joe Tice Interiors, & J. Sills.

By Steven Feldman
Fountain Inn, S.C.— Anderson Hardwood Floors is taking the art of selling hardwood floors to the next level with the Surfaces launch of its Lifestyle Boutique. Think merchandising on steroids, the Lifestyle Boutique is a 24 x 24-foot, fashion-forward gallery that is enclosed by four vignettes, creating a mini showroom within a retailer’s showroom.

The Lifestyle Boutique is all about improving the shopping experience for the consumer who is buying hardwood floors, according to Don Finkell, president. He noted that market research reveals women are somewhat overwhelmed by the array of hardwood flooring choices out there. “She walks into a store, sees all these displays and doesn’t know where to start,” he said. “Some get overwhelmed and don’t do anything.” The Lifestyle Boutique attempts to turn what could be a negative shopping experience into a pleasant one, he added.

The premise of the boutique is to take the entire Anderson family of products and organize them not by brand but rather by lifestyle, which is more meaningful to the consumer, Finkell said. Each lifestyle will offer high-end, mid-priced and entry-level products. “But it’s not about price,” Finkell stressed. “It’s about people discovering their personal style.” The particular lifestyles were determined by Anderson’s Design Council and take four basic directions of interior design, which will be depicted in the vignettes.

The lifestyles are Casual Comfort, Urban Living, New Traditions and World Traveler. Finkell describes Casual Comfort as “casual but not sloppy, with some elegance to it.” An example would be Pickle Barrel, a new product from Anderson’s Coastal Art collection, which is a whitewash that has been worn off the floor.

Urban Living is more contemporary, “higher energy.” An example would be Jatoba, an exotic 5-inch Brazilian cherry in Appalachian’s Port Royal collection. Products in New Traditions are traditional styles updated for today’s consumer. One example would be Hermitage Lantern Glow, a 5-inch-wide pecan in a soft, light brown color.

Finally, World Traveler offers looks that range from old Europe to exotic to “anything unusual that reflects the adventure of travel.” Vineyard Madera, an Old-World-looking, handsanded maple from the Appalachian brand, falls into this lifestyle.

Each lifestyle will consist of approximately 30 products selected from the Anderson, Appalachian and Virginia Vintage brands. Large-format samples will be displayed on four units attached to the walls outside the Lifestyle Boutique. “The samples are 20 x 30,” Finkell said. “This is as big a format as there is out there without doing a display floor. These looks need to be seen on a larger format for the consumer to appreciate the texture of the product and variation from board to board.”

Anderson believes the Lifestyle Boutique has the type of upscale image that will grab consumers’ attention. “Once she walks into the space, she will have the ability to sit down in comfortable chairs, have a cup of coffee and start talking to the sales associate about what she is seeking to accomplish,” Finkell said. There will also be an idea book with room scene photography showcasing the different lifestyles. And from that chair she will be able to view the lifestyles highlighted in the four vignettes, which clustered together create an intimate, cozy environment. “We think if she goes elsewhere after this type of shopping experience she will be disappointed. She will not only come back, but she will also tell her friends. We find a lot of product like ours is sold by word of mouth.”

Finkell added that Anderson believes every consumer has looked at different flooring magazines for at least a year before they actually go into a store to buy. “They see photos of ceramic tile with the countertops and backsplashes,” he said. “They see it in magazines, but they can’t see it in a retail showroom. What we are doing here is recreating what they see in magazines and putting it in retail showrooms.”

Anderson admits the Lifestyle Boutique is not for everyone. In fact, according to Jeff Sills, president, “We think there are only about 100 retailers nationwide who would be candidates for this type of display.” He noted that they must have a dominant position in their market and sell a high-end shopping experience. “She wouldn’t find this type of display in a bargain store.” In addition, the candidate must have the requisite space in his showroom to accommodate a 24 x 24 unit along with a 10-foot clearance. Retailer cost will be in the $25,000 range, Sills said.

The genesis

The brainchild of noted designer Joe Tice of Joe Tice Interiors in Memphis, the Lifestyle Boutique concept was a major part of Anderson’s Surfaces 2006 booth. The idea was born from Anderson executives walking around stores in Italy. “We were out there for a Design Council meeting,” Finkell said. “We walked around and saw how things were merchandised. Not just flooring, but all industries. We watched the way they showed and enhanced products. That’s how we came up with the vignette idea. The whole industry is about fashion, yet not enough emphasis is put on it.

“Then at Surfaces, Sam Roberts of Roberts Fine Flooring in Houston, came through our space and saw the vignettes. He said this is the way we should be merchandising hardwood at retail and asked if we would come out and build a boutique for one of his stores. That’s how we got the idea to take the Lifestyle concept to high-end retailers throughout the country.”