The Mailbox

After following the multi-coloured pavement that lead up to the Mailbox I was stunned by the overall look of this building.
You are introduced to this artistic looking area of Birmingham by a light display at the foot of the Mailbox steps.


This contemporary side of Birmingham houses some of the more high end stores in the city, as well as Harvey Nicols department store.
The Mailbox is a shopping eutopia, minus the hustle and bustle of the Bullring, where the tree lined alleys in the Mailbox lead you to these chic stores and galleries.

Urban Outfitters

This is one high street store that really invests in its image and you're as excited by the decor and instore environment as much as the actual garments and accessories.



Every inch of this store is full of intricate detail to create this retro urban image this store is reknown for.


From keyboards to sewing machines to chests of drawers, the store environment creates the feeling of being various rooms of retro homes..........even the added extras like lunch boxes and mugs all compliment the image and when you shop at Urban Outfitters you are buying into a lifestyle.

Diesel

Everyone knows 'Sex Sells' and Diesel have really taken this literally with their new advertising campaign.
The double entendre throughout the various window display posters, really caught my eye as they had various posters of jeans in several 'well known' positions; the twist being that these are the names given to the various styles and ways the jeans have been created.



Leaflets were also handed out; dubbed 'Diesel's Sex Sells* Guide', encouraging customers in store to see god knows what else they were displaying away from the prying eyes of children, that may be walking past the store. I have used the pictures from this booklet, as to be quite frank, i am a s**t photographer!!!

Simple but effective, Diesel have taken the same old connotations and made them fresh and entertaining.

Pictures by Diesel

Disorder

14 Needless Alley, Birmingham B2 5AE

Awarded Birmingham's 'Best Independent Boutique', this store gave off a furturistic-meet-tokyo-meets-eco chic vibe. The fabric for the clothes is all ethically sourced or recycled to create one off or a select few garments that embody the stores 'urban chic' image.
The changing rooms in this place really set off the boutique as they were suspended pods of fabric....sounds very Ikea but I loved the futeristic look they gave to the place, along with the Eero Aarnio esk furniture.

I also loved the random lighting and creative decoration, like the metal tree which had advertisiments and event flyers hung off it; it was original and complemented the stores image. One thing I found with this store was that it had a very successful instore environment, combining many vibes but non of which dominated the other.

The Candy Store

14 Piccadilly Arcade, Birmingham B2 4HD

I'd heard alot about this store and so was keen to check it out!!!

If you're not from Birmingham its a little mission to find it, but if Streetwear is your thing, then I'd get there pronto!!

This little boutique looked like the Cool Kidz closet and I loved the little added extras that really added to the vibe inside the store. Although I was expecting something on a bigger scale and maybe more of an envronment that surrounded what its name suggests.... 'The Candy Store', I wasnt disappointed!!
The staff were chilled, the clothes were limited and had been carefullly selected; all adding to this exclusive image.

The store really encoraged you to buy into the lifestyle it promoted, with plenty of gig flyers and info dotted around; it seemed like it was the place to hang out in Birmingham, not just to shop .

Rag Market

The Birmingham Rag Market is located near the Bullring and really encapsulates the multicultural aspect of our society. Rich with fabrics, trims and fashions from all over the world, it was inspiring.
The trims and button stalls enabled us to see fashion in one of its rawest forms and could see aspects of garments, that are gracing the highstreet with their presence, being displayed on a simple market stall. Also vintage clothing, at 'un-marked-up' prices, could also be hunted down in the hustle and bustle of the market; one of our favourites was Sally's Alley which had a wide range of what she describes as....

"Old, New and Vintage too"

The vibrancy of the stalls and the buzz of the masses of eager shoppers, showed that you don't have to invest thousands on VM and general instore environments to achieve a likeable and long lasting effect on your customers.

Going Mainstream.....

Inside the bullring is a managerie of highstreet stores, each competing for our business. Many of these stores have invested in the store environment in order to make shopping an experience and different from the stores either side of it. Most choose to portray their store image through window displays but some have gone as far as to evoke these images through the way items are displayed and even the walls and objects the items are displayed on.
All Saints, The Entertainer, David and Goliath and even an ice cream stand were the stores to really catch my eye.
All Saints is known for its investment in its instore environment and the Bullring store is no exception. With its eye catching window display of various vintage sewing machines, towering the length and bredth of the shop window, you are already intregued as to what is inside. Inside is its stereotypical warn, rustic almost industrial image; achieved by use of wood pannels and metal decor together with solid wooden tables.The Entertainer was another store that really caught my eye; a kids dream, but possibly a parent's nightmare!!
There is a massive 'snakes and ladders' murel down the side of the store, out of which pops a snakes head, which is actually a slide that shoots you into the store. It really captures the fun element of the store and I LOVED it!!












David and Goliath is not well known as a stand alone store, but they are really eye catching with their candy colours and retro displays!!
As quirky as their tshirt slogans, the window display housed manequins in their American diner themed pj sets teamed with old school cinema refreshment trays and cinema tickets.......I have to admit I spent a good 10 minutes taking in the detail and oggling the display. Inside the store was a child like fun theme, with colourful boarders sporting the various David and Goliath characters.















And lastly......an ice cream bar with a real retro feel, as the seats surrounding the bar were candy coloured piaggio scooters. It set itself aside from the rest of the food and beverage bars with its unique and inventive look.

The BULLRING

FIRST STOP!! The Bullring.
Impressive architechturally, a shopping eutopia....it's a must see for any visitor to Birmingham!!
Birmingham's skyline is graced by the glistening presence of the Bullring and it is a creation that the people of the 21st Cetury should be proud of. The sociable atmosphere surrounding the place is captivating and I love the open areas, which encourage people to commune and watch the various entertainers, from bag pipes to vodaphone promotions. Sitting next to a church, the area really combines with old and the new in a successful and beautiful way, creating an area that provides something for all our needs.........why would you want to leave?!

Bull Picture from http://www.birminghamuk.com/wheel/bullring/The%20%20Bull.jpg

I Heart Birmingham

Before my trip to Birmingham, I had a pretty negative view of the place.....Don't ask me why, I don't actually know!! Now I LOVE the place!!
My friend Nem and I took a little day trip to Birmingham and didnt want to leave, even though we were a little embarrassed looking like 'snap happy' tourists taking pictures for our blogs!!
I decided to look, mainly, at stores and boutiques that had really invested in their instore environments, but I also decided to look at the amazing shopping centres Birmingham has to offer and even the Rag Market, which really embraces the multicultural nation we live in and we got to see trends in their rawest forms from Vintage stalls to embellishments and trims, which often influence and are embraced by stores and fashion houses when making up their collections and instore enviroments!!