The in-store experience

Ron Pompei combines commerce, culture and community to create memorable in-store experiences.

Few people have mastered the art of store design like Ron Pompei, CEO and Creative Director of Pompei AD, a multi-disciplinary design and branding firm in NYC. Pompei started his career as an artist, creating light installations and sculpture; he then moved on to commercial design for stores and restaurants. Current menswear clients include The Art of Shaving and My.Suit, where he’s managed to create unique environments in which men are comfortable enough to hang out but inspired enough to spend money. Here, we speak with Pompei about his vision for menswear clients.

Tell us a bit about the ambiance you created for The Art of Shaving.
It’s much harder for men than women to feel comfortable in a store. When you think about it, not too many stores in the mall are geared to guys, so we wanted to design a kind of hideaway. The goal of this rebranding was to create a narrative while simplifying the shopping experience. We chose warm wood paneling (but jumbled it, for a collage effect), leather chairs (some classic, some modern), mostly traditional furnishings but done in a fun way. We created an expansive center table to display all the product and surrounded it by walls that feature these products in the order they are used (steps one to four). Then we installed either actual sinks or else strategically placed bowls so customers can test the products they want to try. All told, the Art of Shaving stores are modern, interactive and easy to shop but they kind of resemble men’s clubs. Other key elements include (in some stores) barber chairs, a comfortable café area, and an actual men’s spa.

What was the thought process for My.Suit?
We wanted to eliminate the intimidation of buying custom clothing. We wanted men to feel that custom clothing can be accessible, and affordable. Clarity of presentation was also a key goal.

You often talk about creating an interactive shopping experience; how does that apply here?
In My.Suit, we programmed the space to bring customers into the process of coordinating merchandise. We put fabrics out for customers to touch, and we encourage them to put looks together so they’re creating rather than being dictated to. The idea is to let customers create their own combinations and then leave them out for the next customers to discover. It’s a unique visitor experience.

How can traditional menswear stores differentiate themselves from the competition?
The ideal is to create this unique visitor experience. You need to somehow tell the story of the brand, and focus as much on the storytelling as on the store design. For multi-brand retailers, the store is the brand, meaning the retailer is the curator and editor of numerous different brands. You want to inspire customers by showing these brands a little differently than people are used to seeing them.

Why do you think certain heritage brands are back?
They’re back because they’re authentic, because they’re emotionally engaging rather than just nostalgic.

What about advertising: how can menswear companies stand out?
They need to create not simply the ad but the story that goes along with it. No one does that better than Ralph Lauren; John Varvatos has also done a good job.

What’s the first thing you do when you work with a retail account?
I talk to the retailer about his vision. Most retailers have a target market in mind; my job is to translate the demographic into a psychographic and develop a narrative.

How often do stores need to be renovated?
I’d say that after five years, even the most innovative stores get tired. You might not need a total reinvention, but you should definitely update certain aspects.

Visit Pompei AD at pompeiad.com.

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