Lon and Lauren McGowan, of Boulder’s Alpine Modern, approached Tres Birds Workshop in the fall of 2015, with a problem any entrepreneuring couple would kill for. In the course of only a few years, the dynamic duo had launched a quarterly publication, retail shop and cafe, all with resounding success. Their growing business however, was becoming constrained in their existing shop, completed just the year prior. When an opportunity opened up in the summer of 2015 to lease a newly constructed space on the coveted Pearl Street of Boulder’s pedestrian mall, the owners decided to snatch it up. The location was perfect - allowing them to operate not just a retail shop but a small coffee shop as well. 

Though excited about the space, there were definite constraints. At just 750 square feet, the space needed to accomodate a growing product line, full service coffee shop and space for inventory. Over the next nine months, Tres Birds worked to design and build a space that provided all the function required, while infusing the quiet ‘less is more’ aesthetic of Alpine Modern to create a unique retail experience. 

CAPTURING

ALPINE MODERN

Taking inspiration from the photography of Alpine Modern’s own publication, Tres Birds began the design process by building out a mood board of alpine landscapes, architecture, and materials to guide the concept development of the new space. 

In keeping with the brand’s aesthetic of ‘less is more’ Tres Birds decided to focus on a crisp palette of black and white with elements of doug-fir wood to bring warmth to the space. 

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Once the basic design elements were established, we set to work developing some of the finer details. Working within the confines of the 750 square feet, we developed a floor plan that took advantage of the narrow but deep space. A large bar serving double duty as the coffee shop and cash wrap was pushed to the back to take advantage of an opening to the adjacent lobby. 

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Alpine Modern carries a wide variety of products including textiles, jewelry, books as well as their own line of outdoor accessories. When designing the layout of the shop, we knew it was imperative to include as much space as possible for merchandising their unique product mix. The challenge came as we tried to do this in a way that didn’t visually overwhelm the customer, especially in the confines of a relatively small shop. 

In making full use of the available wall space, we were able to create three different zones for merchandising, allowing just enough visual separation between product categories to not overwhelm customers. A fourth zone was created in the center of the store with a large live edge table.