City Style and Living - Winter 2007/2008 - (Page 13)

around the City crisp oxford shirts, Loro Piana Italian cashmere sweaters and perfume bottles in antique bird cages. wickedness of Willy Wonka proportions and tantalize little minds. Peering in further— a world of mechanical toys. Teddy bears and dancing dolls amidst wintry evergreen trees perform choreographed dances- popping up and down on cue. The young and the old turn giddy. “As children we remember nice windows. When people bring their children to look at the storefront windows it really is a huge compliment,” notes Haight. Inspiration for the storefront windows can come from many places. “I do most of my buying for the store in New York at the gift market. I get a lot of inspiration there. I spend a lot of time traveling so I pick up ideas wherever I go,” relates Michele Masterson owner of Blue Hydrangea, floral boutique in Inglewood. Sometimes, inspiration for the storefront windows can be found even closer to home. Pat Haight, owner of Rubaiyat with her husband David for the past thirty four years notes that they scour their own merchandise for ideas. “Sometimes the windows depend on what we have in stock. If we have nostalgia windows like the Old Santa, then we find the product to make that work. But it varies from year to year.” After the concept has been solidified, sourcing the items is the next step. For large nation-wide stores such as Holt Renfrew this is an elaborate process. “Sourcing happens everywhere and anywhere, right from dollar stores to the finest furniture stores in Calgary. We also receive the majority of our prop from corporate headquarters, to maintain consistency across the country.” While most of the storefront windows in the city are done in-house, many large department stores and malls hire freelance professionals to dress their windows. At smaller boutiques and shops in Calgary the staff is responsible for executing the designs and concepts. “My husband David does the conceptualizing of all of the storefront windows and then we make it happen,” says Haight. A state of reverie is induced by peering through the large glass windows at a world that brings childhood fairy tales to life. Voluminous pyramids of golden chocolate boxes evoke innocent wickedness of Willy Wonka p r op o r t ion s a n d t a n t a l i z e l it t l e minds. Peering in further- a world of mechanical toys RUBAIYAT placed third in the 2006 winter windowland contest The Uptown 17th Avenue revitalization zone’s Winter Windowland and the 4th Street business revitalization zone’s Frolic on Fourth are held each year to crown the most creative storefront window in the respective areas of the city. The friendly contests bring out the festive spirit in store owners. For the people who plan and execute these displays at shops across the city, the greatest reward for them is the reaction from the public. As Meshen says, “Our customer reaction is almost always one of delight. They love being entertained and educated. The purpose of installing store front windows is to promote and familiarize shoppers with what is inside. They entertain, educate, inform, excite and entice people, whether you set out to shop there or not.” BLUE HYDRANGEA goes festive for the Holidays COURTESY FROM TOP:: RUBAIYAT; BLUE HYDRANGEA; HOLT RENFREW; KRICKETS HOLT RENFREW 2006 holiday storefront display Beyond emphasizing the identity of the store and advertising merchandise the storefront window displays serve another purpose – nostalgia and delight. Storefront windows have an intimate association with childhood wonder. A state of reverie is induced by peering through the large glass windows at a world that brings childhood fairy tales to life. Voluminous pyramids of golden chocolate boxes evoke innocent Growing up in Calgary, it is a rite of passage to observe the sparkle and glisten of twinkling lights throughout the city. Though sometimes overlooked, storefront displays translate into big business and grand delight. Walking past the opulent and mind satiating displays throughout Calgary, even the most hardened scrooge will stop in their tracks. csl KRICKETS the first place winner of Frolic on Fourth in 2006 citystyleandliving.com | WINTER 2007/2008 | 13 http://citystyleandliving.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of City Style and Living - Winter 2007/2008

City Style and Living - Winter 2007/2008 Contents Editor’s Note Website Behind the Cover Contributors The District Calgary’s Holiday Storefront Windows: Through the Looking Glass Need it Want it Fusion Culinary Adventure Champagne 101: Tiny Bubbles Covet Prêt-à-porter Fashion Adventure Resort Wear Enchanted Evening Passport 24 Hours in Paris Anatomy of... Costa Rica: In Search of the Resplendent Quetzal Final Thought

City Style and Living - Winter 2007/2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.