Award of Merit - Retail

DropShop

One time-honored way to set a company apart in a busy retail marketplace is its look. And growing pressure from competitors to DropShop propelled it to develop and open its flagship store for business in Greenwich, Conn., within four months.

The quick turnaround was also a successful one, according to the awards jury. "Small but striking," one judge said. "It has a very fresh look to it."

DropShop services a very niche customer. While almost everyone has something to sell on eBay - the Web-based auction service that has opened a national marketplace for just about anything - not everyone has the time or the resources to go through the required motions. Those include estimating the value of an item to sell, taking digital photos of it, monitoring the bidding, collecting the free, and shipping the item.

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For that niche, DropShop has entered the market as a one-stop eBay backup. The 1,722-sq.-ft. bricks-and-mortar storefront offers a space where sellers can drop off their wares for auction on eBay. For a commission, DropShop manages the auction from photography to shipping.

The greatest challenge, according to the architectural team at New York-based Gensler Architecture & Planning Worldwide, was to create a design that branded the customer experience while using standard industrial materials and remaining flexible to existing conditions. At the same time, the company was forming its entire marketing strategy that impacted everything from architecture to the custom company van.

"It has a really bold use of color," one juror said. "It is very simple, but it was creatively done."

Another challenge for both the design and construction teams was the flying-sheetrock ceiling, which required patient craftsmanship from the project team, led by Blansfield Builders of Danbury, Conn., and backed up by specialists such as a drywall and steel-stud contractor. The project team also managed the tricky installation of vinyl flooring and a very precise painting scheme.

These types of intricate details helped to define the branded appearance while accommodating the applications for use in other future locations. Currently, the chain operates three locations in Connecticut and New York.