As I touched on in my last blog, seasonal retail, especially when aimed at affluent urban vacationers, can and should provide a more sophisticated shopping experience than the run-of-the-mill. While on vacation, style-savvy LGBT urban dwellers as well as their straight counterparts, are perfectly primed for indulgent shopping and self-gifting. In the gay mecca of Provincetown, MAP, offers a uniquely curated collection of product in a sublimely simple and sophisticated shopping experience completely on target with the demographic.
In a thriving summer resort town where seasonal retail is the norm, taking a curated approach to retail offering isn’t particularly new; however, what MAP offers is both a well-curated product mix and a retail experience that is on par with similar niche retailers in major cities such as New York, Boston and Toronto. Even given its short operating season, MAP doesn’t pull any punches on design – it demonstrates that good design isn’t about expensive materials and costly construction but rather inspired design thinking. For MAP, their unique alchemy has resonated so much that it has even captured the attention of The New York Times and has become the go-to-spot for notable local residents, John Waters and Michael Cunningham.
Why MAP works:
Great curated on-trend product
The most important ingredient in retail is great product. Product is king! What MAP does so adeptly, season after season, is curate a fresh collection of quality on-trend products for the style savvy. From coveted bags from Japanese cult brand, Porter, which have been highly touted by global lifestyle magazine and tastemaker, Monocle; to Levi’s Commuter series for urban cyclists, to whatever fun stationery, books and accessories are of the moment.
Works with the space
In a town where most retail spaces are re-purposed residential or simple wood frame buildings, and there is great respect for heritage and pride in small town charm, the options for creating anything but a predictable ambiance might seem limited. However, what MAP has done is to strip back the interior to reveal the essence of the structure while keeping the exterior intact. The result is an airy spacious and surprisingly raw urban feel, that is both at home in the seaside setting and a complimentary backdrop to the stylish product.
Simple honest fixtures
In keeping with the raw interior shell, fixtures were designed with simplicity in mind. For the most part fixtures are simple boxes on castors, fabricated with basic construction methods in honest materials such as unfinished plywood, raw and forged metal; a cost-effective solution for seasonal retail. And the rawness and simple forms of the fixtures creates the perfect backdrop for the urban-focused product and is versatile enough to address the forever morphing product mix.
Clever details
In design, it is clever yet simple details that can truly set a stream-lined, bare-boned design solution apart and bring personality to a retail experience. At MAP, a few simple ideas such as hand-forged nails and industrial S-hooks for hanging bags, hats and scarves, hanging and swagged sockets with bare light bulbs for lighting, simple rails for sunglasses and crisp white ledges for stationery, are just the right touches to add a level of charm to the space.
