Press and Sun-Bulletin from Binghamton, New York • 56

2-F PRESS, Binghamton, N.Y. Sept. 30, 1975 A PRESS ADVERTISING FEATURE Wow as Luxurious Decor let Ne Store k' Live trees. Teakwood. Ex-''quisite, expensive wall coverings.

Plush carpeting. Unique lighting plans. HH7t I VPS' A WMtff-'. i I a Oversized show cases are (another unique feature. The full-glass cases help display more merchandise (rather than keeping it hidden under the counter or in a drawer), giving the cusomer the full view of the available merchandise in certain depart- ments.

Angular walls are designed to avoid harsh corners and long, boring wall Throughout the store, walls are at angles of 45, 90, and 135 degrees. Fins and mirrors project horizontally and vertically to help give a totally masculine look to the men's and boy's areas. Wall coverings run the gamut of colorful materials. The gift and china departments are carpeted in vivid green and the color follows up the wall with a textured velvet wall covering. Other wall coverings include wood, oversized "super graphic" designs in hand-printed vinyl, geometric designs on hand-printed vinyl, mirrors, cut velvet, and carpet.

Center wrapping areas are located within every major merchandise section. Counters are accessible form both sides. Private dressing rooms are tastefully decorated to match -the departments they serve. Rustic louvered doors and benches in the men's section contrast with beautifully carpeted and bright wall prints in the women's areas. The store offers another unuusual feature.

Ninety-two per cent of its total floor space is devoted to customer sales and service. Only eight per cent of the, building is devoted to stock rooms (which are two-deck affairs, along the walls), offices, the small busi- ness office, and rest rooms. features: -Departments are separated by distinctive carpeting in bright colors, separated by wide aisles of "oatmeal" color carpets. The color designs in carpeting, complemented by distinctive fixturing, perimeter wall furnishings, and ceiling heights, make the customer aware of the different departments without the presence of walls that inhibit the view. Ceiling heights differ throughout the store.

There are four ceiling heights. The store has none of the feeling often found on large one-floor buildings. The ceiling has been raised and lowered to heights ranging from 10 to 20 feet. Skylights give yet another feeling of spaciousness and heights. While the skylights were not specifically designed to provide light, they do allow natural sunlight to filter into the store, adding to its aura of the outdoors.

Carpets are of deep pile, ranging in colors from deep earth tones to vribrant color accents. Deep brown and lighter oatmeal shades are used to emphasize the "feature strip" or aisle traffic areas. All of the women's ready-to-wear areas have attractive green carpets, allowing great freedom in moving fixtures from one area to another within the same'carpet 1 boundaries. This aids seasonal and weekly changes required in presenting women's fashions to customers. The open shop concepts achieved throught the store, because carpets help define the specific department areas without having to have vision-obstructing walls, or floor-to-ceiling hangings.

Plants and planters abound in the new store. One treatment is the use of hang- They ve all come together as elements in the new Fowler's full-line department store, which opens Wednesday at 6 p.m. v. The new store, part of the huge Oakdale Mall shopping complex just off Route 17 Expressway in Johnson City, is already being hailed as one of the most beautiful new retail stores in the country. It is one of more than 20 new stores which will open for the first time tomorrow night.

The new stores join Montgom ery wara laciuiy, wnicn m-naugrated the Oakdale site almost two years ago. Fowler's second full-line siore, uie iirsi is rowiers long-time location at Court and Water streets in downtown Binghamton) will include all of the departments found in its main store. It culminates manv vears of planning and waiting by Fowler's, management for the right geographic location and right developer. The new Fowler's store can be reached from the mall center court or from' three entrances leading from the Reynolds Road parking area of the mall. Hours for the new store will be from 10 a.m.

to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Hours for Fowler's downtown store will remain the same, with the downtown store open 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, and 9:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday- The design features of the new Fowler's make it contemporary in design, but its flavor is still traditional.

Among the most interesting jit- PRESS PHOTO BY PAUL KONECNY SPECIAL DESIGN This wide view of Fowler's, new Oakdale trees, plantersand unusual lighting. The new store opens at 6 Mall department store in Johnson City shows specially designed p.m. Wednesday night and will be open six days a customer displays surrounded by teakwood appointments, live ing planters which are be- Twenty trees are used in deco- traffic areas. all fixtures. This helps dra- signed to allow the best use of neath skylights.

These are rative planters that are placed Parkwood India Tea- matically display merchan- displaying merchandise while eight-sided teakwood planters throughout the store under kwood and architectural dise. Every fixture in the at the same time making it about 20-feet in diameter, skylights and in eye-catching bronze are used exclusively in store has been custom-de- accessible to the customers. Hard 200 Pushed Fowler 1 Poised for Opening A More than 200 Fowler's employes have been pushing car- tons, unpacking boxes, checking in merchandise and setting up displays to get ready for tomorrow's opening of Fowler's Oakdale Mall store. The new store, located on the northeast side of the huge Oakdale Mall complex off Reynolds Road in Johnson City, opens at 6 p.m. tomorrow night." Fowler's staff members have been getting ready for the Oakdale opening for more than a year.

Buyers have recently returned from market trips to either New York City or Chicago to purchase opening goods and holiday lines. Individual employees have been called upon to help with the setting up of their own departments. This insures that the department will be ready for tomorrow's opening, but also helps train old and new Fowler's personnel who will be working in the sparkling new environment. Many management personnel have been at. the Mall store early each morning in recent months, untangling a new set of problems that have developed since the last set they solved hours before.

1 Last minute changes, improving fixtures, and deciding Dick Stewart, store manager the downtown store have been promoted to manage the Oakdale Mall store's departments. This move gives Fowler's an experienced team of trained salespersons and management to work and operate the new store, while maintaining the quality of service in both stores. While many new staff members have been employed at the mall location, most employes are experienced. Many employes in the Oakdale store have been working for the past few months in the downtown store. At the same time, training has, been underway at Fowler's Court and Water Street location to train new personnel in the store policies and merchandise.

ILJlisUM 111 where to put what is a small part of the "ecstasy" of opening a new store. The Oakdale Mall store's newly appointed general manager, Dick Stewart, comes to Binghamton from Michigan, where he had managed and opened three mall stores for J.W. Knapp Company. J.W. Knapp and Fowler's are both subsidiaries of L.S.

Good Company, a corporation based in Wheeling, West Virginia. The three sales supervisors assisting Stewart are Shadrick Danisa, Warren Goldstein, and James Macomber, all of whom have been promoted from within Fowler's staff. All three have held various positions within Fowler's downtown store and are veteran employes. Many assistant buyers and key department assistants from CONTRASTS Modern mannequins are silhouetted against the geometric design of one of the main entr6nces to Fowler's new'Oakdale Mall store. This entrance, directly off the Reynolds Road parking area in the mall, leads to a panoramic view of the new store.

PRESS PHOTOS BY PAUL KONECNY oiC, 1W cusromer 1 Iff 'y 1 t. -ji iUi If If if I 'I- 'v' llfllill illlllr rWL -1 tl niicriii. me5iore nas an UNIQUE SYSTEM Fowler's new Oakdale Mall store SPACIOUS ROOMS Fo wler's new Oakdale Mall store features dressing rooms for customers. This set of rooms is in the children's department. colorful, roomy private open look but retains th ie ,,3 ucui impression of various shops wnnin a store..