by Ryan | Oct 30, 2018 | Design News, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Retail Design
Doug Wildey has been thinking about expanding Game Room Guys, headquartered in Comstock Park, MI, into other cities for several years. He has been talking to r.o.i. Design about what satellite stores could look like, and how those stores need to be designed to attract their customers. While they have a showroom at their headquarters, most of their sales are generated online. They have been delivering to major metropolitan areas in the midwest, east, and south already which gave them valuable data on where physical stores could benefit their growth.
This year they found a former golf pro-shop in Livonia, near Detroit. This great location already had a lot of “retail friendly” details in place. Their space, while larger than what they required, does allow for an impressive display of merchandise in all their different categories.
Wildey engaged r.o.i. Design to help Game Room Guys create merchandise layouts, select finishes, and create signage. As the store continues to see sales, we will finish up with all the little merchandising touches that will make the retail space an attractive and interesting place to spend time and money. One of the greatest challenges was the flooring, staying within budget while still creating a retail “look”. With the help of our Shaw Flooring Contract Representative, Patrick Coulsen, we were able to deliver both.
Kudos to Game Room Guys for their methodical process, their commitment, and investment into the project. They opened their doors in the summer of 2018 and are experiencing continual sales growth and increased traffic.
As a teen, Doug Wildey plunked coin after coin into the Captain Fantastic and Eight Ball pinball machines at his favorite arcade.
Decades later, Wildey turned his love of arcade games into a growing retail business, Game Room Guys, where he sells pinball machines, pool tables, foosball games, golf simulators, dartboards, poker tables, air hockey — even jukeboxes, record turntables, vending machines, and Jack Daniels memorabilia.
What started as a business out of his garage in 2001 has grown into a 26,000-square-foot national headquarters in Comstock Park, near Grand Rapids, with customers across the nation.
And now, Wildey has entered the metro Detroit market with a new store in Livonia, southeast of Eight Mile and Newburgh roads.
Wildey described Game Room Guys as “one of the largest pinball dealers in the world.” He said the majority of customers are homeowners who want to create or add a game room atmosphere to part of their home.
But he also supplies corporate break rooms, college dormitories, bars, youth centers and, of course, arcades.
Wildey said two of his three sons are involved in the business, which has 26 employees. He said his company is the go-to place for people who need to find replacement parts for pinball machines and other products dating back to the 1940s and 1950s.
by Ryan | Sep 26, 2018 | Branding, Design News, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Medical Design, Procurement and Purchasing
© Image Courtesy of First Companies
Van Haren Dentistry needed a new home, outgrowing their office after 10 years of dental practice, and reached out to First Companies’ Craig Baker for help. First Companies put together the team of r.o.i. Design and r2Design Group, architect Jon Blair to create a space to meet Ryan Van Haren’s needs.
r.o.i. Design was eager to provide a warm and friendly space for this team who uses the word “kind” to describe their practice. We found Dr. Van Haren to be a very caring professional with a love of family and desire to serve his patients and wanted him to feel at home in his new space.
© Image Courtesy of First Companies
The new office has improved patient spaces, including waiting, consult, and hygiene/operatory. It also has more efficient space for staff, including reception, lab, sterilization, and break room.
One element from the old office was brought along: photos of Grand Rapids’ sister cities are displayed in the lobby, consult room and hygiene/operatory rooms. These colorful photos of people from around the world are a bright and refreshing accent throughout the space.
© Image Courtesy of First Companies
Our favorite features in this design include the pop of the color orange, use of a panelized wood tile, lobby and corridor ceiling details with edge lighting, as well as a friendly hospitality area with full height tile walls.
© Image Courtesy of First Companies
Not only did r.o.i. Design provide complete interior design services, we designed their new logo and designed the signage for the outside of the building. Again, a friendly and welcoming use of the “V H” hopes to reflect the nature of the practice. We also supported their process of procuring furniture, working with Custer Office.
© Image Courtesy of First Companies
First Companies delivered the space by the 4th of July. Congratulations to Josh Reynolds and the whole team from First Companies.
For more information about Van Haren Dentistry go to vanharendentistry.com.
by Ryan | Sep 26, 2018 | Branding, Design News, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Workplace Design
r.o.i. Design has been supporting Ryan Ogle and BluHouse with interior design for many years, and we were part of the team for their recent expansion. Along with interior design, we provided graphic design and product procurement to assist in getting their space operational in time for the busy 2018 real estate season.
We worked with architect Tim Allspach, builder Kevin Cook, and BluHouse’s own team of builders, Mariani Construction, to complete the project. The complete remodel included almost 4,000 square feet of office space.
The office includes a combination of private offices and open office space supported by tiny private areas for team members to use for calls and focused work. The reception wall makes use of reclaimed wood, which was locally sourced from Grand Rapids Pallets. Throughout the space are accents of “BluHouse Blue” and the inclusion of some of Ryan’s key “finds and treasures”. A dynamic team photo wall makes a bold statement at one end of the space.
Ryan Ogle started BluHouse in 2007. He has grown the company to include an active team of realtors, property managers and remodelers, and marketing consultants through a variety of privately held and related businesses.
Their first offices on Wealthy Street in Eastown became cramped and impractical, so over a few years, business segments were relocated to other facilities. BluHouse Properties, the real estate business, moved to East Paris in 2016 but expanded their presence there in 2018.
For more about BluHouse Properties, Rent Blu, and 7thRow Creative go to thinkbluhouse.com, rentblu.com, and think7th.com.
by Ryan | Dec 18, 2017 | Church Design, Design News, Graphic Design, Interior Design
Sun Rise Ministries now has its own facility after 14 years. They purchased the former Freedom Chapel in Jenison, MI. They engaged BCI Construction and TJA Architecture to remodel the facility. Having worked with both Doug Kooistra of BCI and Tim Allspach of TJA on other projects, it was great to join the team as the Interior Designers.
For Sun Rise, their commitment to help people Connect and Serve meant their new church home needed to be immediately “engaging”, welcoming visitors to participate.
It is amazing what some well-placed paint, carpet and graphics can do to a space. We integrated the acoustical panels in the worship area to create a wall design. We were also able to offer graphic design services, creating wall graphics and signage in the corridors. (A “shout-out” to our own Ryan Bright, graphic designer.)
Thank you to church leaders Bob and Penny for your direction and leadership. Blessings on your ministry’s new home!
by Ryan | Aug 31, 2016 | Branding, Design News, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Retail Design
r.o.i. Design has been designing for retail for more than 20 years, but now that schools and universities have discovered their customers expect the same kinds of retail experiences on campus as they do in their communities, more than ever we find ourselves working for these institutions. On-campus stores are faced with new business challenges, and they have to be profitable in a time of change.
Products:
Unlike what the doomsayers predicted five years ago, books are still being sold in campus bookstores. But online competitors and used book providers continue to eat away at that business. Incoming freshman graduated from high schools where there were textbooks, and professors are still writing and using textbooks, so until those two trends change, there will be books in campus stores.
So the savvy campus stores are looking at other products and services that will eventually eclipse book sales. Leading categories today appear to be technology & communication (equipment and their repair), fashion & apparel, campus services (printing, product rentals, grocery, HBA, etc.) and entertainment (food service, movies and more).
Layout & Aesthetics:
Whether it is a gift shop, a concession stand, a book store, a copy center or a hotel, all these on-campus environments are being compared to their off-campus competitors. Very few students or staff are confined to campus for discretionary shopping.
While convenient, most outdated retail experiences on campus are seeing reduced sales.
Key retail design elements include lighting, store layout and merchandising, wayfinding and signage, and intuitive, easy check-out experiences. Store displays have to be clear and fresh.
Service:
Perhaps more difficult to change than product mix or store layout is the store culture and service attitude provided by staff. An institution that has previously considered all customer interface as administrative is now looking at how to change employee mind-sets. The new overall need for staff to be more flexible is paramount; to be open to work different hours, to work different jobs and to continue to be open to change. HR attitudes has further challenged some on-campus stores profitability.
The more on-campus stores can employ students and work to develop structures that hire and train students, the more successful their retailing will be.
This type of service situation (not just found in campus retail but in all retailers) motivated r.o.i. Design to start a consulting arm of their business where they work with teams to support these kinds of changes. See Accelerate ROI.
Marketing and Promotion:
Successful stores have independent marketing agendas and strategies, separate from the institution and marketing to the institution. Sometimes this means changes in staffing so there are resources internally available to support this effort.
Students need reminders of retail locations and what is being sold at those locations, continually. Social media and crowd-sourcing for marketing is undeniably the best tool to use on college campuses.
by Ryan | Aug 31, 2016 | Branding, Design News, Designing Public Areas, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Workplace Design
Campus View has been growing alongside Grand Valley State University for the last 50 years with a large inventory of apartments and town homes, and thousands of happy tenants. But as Grand Valley grows so do options for leasing and Campus View wanted to make their initial experience with potential new tenants reflect who they were more completely.
r.o.i. Design was engaged to redesign the “customer experience” in their lobby and entry. Campus View has made continual investment in amenities but those investments aren’t always visible to customers on their first visit, so the lobby had to become a welcome center and a “billboard”.
Removing the wall and counter that separated leasing staff from the inquiring customers was crucial. Opening up the space meant finding a way to lock down the office after hours, so r.o.i. Design created large sliding doors, that when closed, created a warm backdrop for the lobby.
The use of maple plywood to create office dividers, sliding doors, sales desk and the decorative panels in the hallway eliminated the coldness of the painted concrete block without having to drywall the entire space. The smaller block wall in the lobby was custom painted giving the block an intentional “artsy” look.
Campus View was so happy with the outcome that they sent us a personal thank-you that read, “We’re overjoyed with our updated facility and impressed with every aspect of working with your team. Thanks and we’d be thrilled to be a reference anytime. Cheers!”
For more about Campus View Apartments and Townhouses, click here.
