I took a little road trip with a good friend last week. We headed to Seattle to check out the ‘hype’ that is BLACK FRIDAY…and took a little detour through Bellingham. It has got to be 10 or more years since I had been to Bellingham, so it was nice to see their downtown area looking so funky and fun. There was such a comfortable vibe…not easy to achieve in this economy. We decided to check out a store that my friend said I’d like. It was called DIGS. I didn’t just like this place…I LOVED this place. It was easily, one of the most thoughtfully edited, organized and unique stores that I have been in in a LONG time. The space was beautiful. It was an older building on a corner. It was well lit, inside and out, with an open concept, high ceilinged 2 story layout. The merchandise was primarily home decor, but with a good selection of books for cooks,children, and would be designers/decorators. I have to admit that the upstairs captured my imagination the most, with it’s small art installation filled with vintage things for the home. In this 100 or so square feet I discovered more than a few things from my youth! The standout was a Betty Crocker recipe card file from the 70′s. The one in the installation was harvest gold…but if you can believe it…I had one that was avocado green…and I swear, I cooked EVERY RECIPE in that crazy little box of recipe treasures.
This store was remarkable for it’s sophistication, variety of merchandise, and overall flow. The sections were incredibly well integrated, creating vignettes that had you imagining yourself actually living in the spaces. Too often, retailers are pushed and pulled off their buying course by shifts in the economy, vendors demanding larger orders for free shipping, or customers asking for bizarre items, and the store owner believing that special ordering 2 or 3 or 10 of these treasures will translate into a loyal, satisfied customer. I admire stores like DIGS…who know who they are, and stay true to that vision by creating a store environment that is specific, but not rigid. DIGS speaks for itself. The store was laid out in such a way that even if there had been no one to serve me, I could have wandered around, on my own, picking up interesting things, and enjoying the specific spaces, not at all worried about something falling on my head, or knocking something over, or being afraid to touch something for fear of ruining a display. The store was full…but not in a crazy, messy, unorganized way. I can’t emphasize enough, how HARD that is to achieve in any retail store. That balance between too much stock, and not enough stock is mostly ART…partly SCIENCE. (MATH SCIENCE!!)
DIGS is a downtown Bellingham treasure, and an early Christmas present for anyone who loves unique and beautiful retail stores…
www.digsshowroom.com
DIGS200 West Holly Street
Bellingham Wa. 98255
