Randy Belling
2710 Cabin Creek Court Edwardsville, IL 62025
314-368-6552
Fax: 314-667-3145
rbelling@ran-design.org

FAQ

1. What are you selling?
Clothing, gifts, wine, pets, surfboards, some combination of the above? We want to get a feel for the product mix early in the process.
2.  Do you have an existing store?
No, I am starting a new store.
Yes, but I am adding a new store.
Yes, and I plan on upgrading the store
What's your store's current/proposed name:
Briefly describe the things about your store that you love, hate, want to change.
3. Are you experienced?

Assuming you don’t have an existing shop we want to know what your background is. If you are an ex-web programmer about to open a wine and gift shop we want to know. Clients without retail experience typically require a little more care and feeding.
4. Who are your competitors and how will you be different?
 
We are very interested in your vision. Your store concept may be based on a lack of competition, a novel approach to an existing business model, an altogether new concept, better value or exceptional service. We want to know why you think you will be able to compete in your marketplace. What makes you special?
5. What type of a shopping venue are you going in to?
 
A mall, strip center, power center, main street, amusement or entertainment venue? How hard will it be to drive customers to your store? Is the location worth the rent? Have you talked to merchants who are already in the center? How long has the space been vacant? Location, location, location is a valid concept and we want to help you determine if you made (or are about to make) the right choice.
6. Is the lease signed and if so what allowances have been offered to you? (if any)
 
When we help our clients develop a budget we want to know if the landlord is pitching in. If you can get either free rent or tenant improvement allowances you may have more money to work with in the design and construction of your store.
 

7. Do you have an idea of the way you want the shop to look?
 
We don’t necessarily want to start from scratch. If you’ve seen elements in other stores that you really like then we may want to pull some of those in to your shop. It could be a type of flooring or certain fixtures, colors or lights. Maybe graphics or props. Please keep in mind that your input is very valuable to us. This is a collaborative process and we work closely with our customers to develop a store that will look good, sell goods and hit the targeted budget and time frame.
8. When do you want to open?
 
Most of our clients need help determining how long the process typically takes. If a permit is required City Hall can slow the timing down as your plans wind their way through inspection, corrections, revisions, re-inspection and approval. If a permit can be avoided the process speeds up dramatically. We’ve opened stores within 10 days of meeting a client for the first time. We have also worked on projects that took several years to complete.
When is your project deadline?
A) The front sign which typically will have to be designed per the landlord and the cities mandate.
B) The store shell has to be completed unless you are being given a vanilla shell or are taking over an existing space. The completed shell expenses will include HVAC, paint, flooring, ceiling, lighting, sprinklers, demising walls for back rooms, offices and dressing rooms, architectural fees (if a permit is required) building permits, etc. What we call “the hard construction costs.”
C) The counter and display fixtures have the most options for value engineering. We can dial the look and finish of the fixtures up or down based on budget. Some venues have higher prices for fixtures. For instance prices in the northeast and northwest are much higher than in the southwest and southeast.
D) The fluff:
Graphics, video, interior signage, props, sound, smell, the elements in the store that make it special also need to be budgeted . Again, these can be value engineered but they must be present in some form in order to make the store special.
E) Loss Prevention
A proper investment in this area pays for itself over time. If you want to keep your merchandise out of the hands of potential shoplifters, you need to budget for key items like electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems, safety mirrors, dummy cameras etc.
F) Flooring
Whether you pick simple carpeting, an exotic hardwood, or an environmentally-friendly option such as cork, the flooring you choose makes a bold statement about your store. Our flooring department can help you select a floor covering that fits  your brand and your budget.
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9. What’s the budget?
 
Producing a retail store requires a series of construction related expenditures that have nothing to do with the merchandise to be sold, the rent or the costs of insurance, phones, licenses, etc. These construction expenses include:
 

 Design/Construction:

10. Where are you?
 
Much of our work is done via e-mail, fax and FedEx however, if the job is sizable we often have several on site meetings.

I welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person to discuss you projects needs.

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