Visit Paul Smith's space here and you're greeted with a headless mannequin knitting the scarf he's wearing. At another boutique down the corridor, the clothes racks become a tidal wave of polished chrome that swirls around the store from the door to the changing booth to the cash wrap. Often the work of the designer moves into the store itself, choosing the store's furnishings and display tables and cases.
This is certainly true of another big-business boutique, Piin Home Furnishings, which has made a name for itself with its eye-catching in-store displays. Located on the upper floors of the department stores it occupies in its three current locations, Piin doesn't have street-side windows to lure customers, but spares no effort in creating a furniture fantasyland inside.
"We're given free-reign to create displays," said Riko Lee (
Lee said the greatest satisfaction comes inadvertently from
curious customers. Once, when hanging items from the ceiling using spools of red string, a visitor to the store asked where she could buy a spool.
"I had to tell her it was a display item," Lee said. "I'd bought the string at a fabric market because I thought it would have a lot of uses in the store displays. But to think someone would want to buy it is gratifying."
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