Abundant with Concept Stores, Independent retailers and fresh new brands, Barcelona is a hub of activity as we stroll through the historic, cobbled streets. Coffee Shops, Cocktail Bars and Restaurants sit alongside shops of all kinds, from huge branded names to small, quirky boutiques. The city is alive and thriving, a London on the Sea soaked in Spanish tradition.
The trip was never meant to be a research mission, but as soon as we arrived and began to get our bearings, I knew I'd be taking mental notes, ready to put to good use back home.
After a long day traveling (delay after delay at the airport), we woke up on Monday Morning in search for somewhere to get breakfast. We wandered into Serria, an upmarket area on the outskirts of the city, where the boutique's have locks and buzzers to enter. Warm croissants and cappuccino's greeted us at a European style bakery on the main street. Bellies full, we began to explore the town and found a super quirky concept shoe store, UOLKER.
Uolker sells trainers as a way of life, with the ethos that, each pair of shoes you wear, become part of who you are and should never be thrown out. Slogan's are painted throughout the store, and weirdly, there's a wall of robot's. Amazingly, it works. This store taught me that although your stock obviously has to be the main focus of the show room, it's good to experiment with different conceptual design ideas to reflect the mood and vibe of the store. This is a new tool that I will be using more and more throughout the Summer months. Unable to leave before making a purchase, we bought a staple pair of NIKE Slides before continuing our adventure into the big City.
The trip was never meant to be a research mission, but as soon as we arrived and began to get our bearings, I knew I'd be taking mental notes, ready to put to good use back home.
After a long day traveling (delay after delay at the airport), we woke up on Monday Morning in search for somewhere to get breakfast. We wandered into Serria, an upmarket area on the outskirts of the city, where the boutique's have locks and buzzers to enter. Warm croissants and cappuccino's greeted us at a European style bakery on the main street. Bellies full, we began to explore the town and found a super quirky concept shoe store, UOLKER.
Uolker sells trainers as a way of life, with the ethos that, each pair of shoes you wear, become part of who you are and should never be thrown out. Slogan's are painted throughout the store, and weirdly, there's a wall of robot's. Amazingly, it works. This store taught me that although your stock obviously has to be the main focus of the show room, it's good to experiment with different conceptual design ideas to reflect the mood and vibe of the store. This is a new tool that I will be using more and more throughout the Summer months. Unable to leave before making a purchase, we bought a staple pair of NIKE Slides before continuing our adventure into the big City.
What's apparent in Barcelona is that shop owners and retailers really use attention to detail in stores. Window displays are bursting with fresh ideas and design elements which draw you in effortlessly. I took picture after picture of my favorites. Needless to say some of these techniques will be recreated (stolen) for our window display so you all get to see. So excited to get stuck in! Here's a few examples of my absolute favorites...I'll leave you with these while I get busy re-merchandising the store- Barcelona stylee.