After 30 years in business, Mary Olund decided that her specialty women's clothing store, grapevine, needed its own makeover.

  Lake View Village, an 84,000 square-foot retail development in the heart of downtown Lake Oswego, presented an opportunity to take the Grapevine brand to a new level. Grapevine would join upscale retailers Sur La Table, Pendleton Mills and Chico's in a renaissance of this affluent community, which has the highest incomes in the state but until recently an underdeveloped downtown. The Olunds turned to CDS owner, Richard Graap, to design a new store from the ground up. " We didn't really have a model. I just knew I wanted something different than any other women's retail store," says Mary Olund. Graap and the Olunds worked in collaboration on every detail of the store's design, from fixtures and floor tiles to the cash wrap and changing room curtain fabric. CDS built all of the fixtures, wall panels and cabinetry, and provided contractors with design plans and specifications for finishes and materials for all five aspects of the store’s interior.

   Shoppers know they have entered a special place when they first encounter a massive granite circular table, adorned not by stacks of clothing but a single vase with orchids. A serpentine walkway of dark slate leads back to the dressing area, which serves as the store's main focal point or "stage." The materials used in the decor are rich and sophisticated and mirror the old-world architecture of the development: natural wood, hand-rubbed metals, and lots of stone. The overall design playfully combines squares and circles, soft and hard lines, and cool and warm colors to create visual interest. "The goal was to make a dramatic space but not to detract from the product, to create a subtle backdrop or visual foundation for the merchandise," says Graap.

  In contrast to the cool, hard surfaces throughout the store, the dressing area is as soft and inviting as a bedroom, with plush carpet, soft fabrics and blond woods. The dressing rooms, with framed mirrors, overstuffed benches and vases for fresh flowers are a departure from the typical dressing rooms found in chain stores. Soft, upholstered chairs in the main staging area provide comfortable seating

  The lighting, designed by long-time CDS associate Gary Burelli, winds around the store with a combination of accent lighting and rice paper lanterns. The feminine lines found in the lighting are reflected in other details like the curved door handles and glass sculptures. "People are really impressed when they come in. They just stop and look around. The store invites people to stay and shop. It's a place they can feel comfortable in." And when they are comfortable, they stay longer.
 

  It's another case of CDS helping retailers sell more by design.