The 3,000 square feet sneaker consignment store offers the largest range of sneakers (in New York) that one could dream of. The shop was divided into two parts: the famous room with walls of sneakers and the Market Center at the other end of the shop, behind the counter, facing Canal Street.
Statement for the design
The Stadium Goods has always been a very successful space in terms of being a sneaker buying and selling center of New York. However, I do believe that the Market Center should be modified into something less ambiguous since now it not only does it not show the store’s strongest phase but even worse it blocks large flows of visitors from Canal Street.
As you can see from the floor plan, the Market Center’s counter doesn’t show any parts of the sneaker walls- which is a pity when the store fails to attract as much visitors as possible.
So my proposal is very simple- rearranging the Market Center to the side and give way for the customers so that they will be able to see the walls of sneakers and thereby be attracted.
Questions before conducting interviews
1. Please describe your site and what aspects of that site that you love and hate that will inform a thesis question for that space.
The site I picked is a sneaker resell store in Soho, Stadium Goods. Sneakers have always been my biggest interest since I was 12- I think that the fact that how diverse sneaker designing can be is fascinating. And of course collecting sneakers is also something I have been doing for a few years. So when it comes to a place that holds all kinds of sneakers- like a museum so to speak (but the objects are for sell!), it is really exciting to see. I have only been there once but the whole space is simple and shocking enough for me to memorize most of the details of the space. Basically two sides of the walls of the shop are filled up with shoes and the counter is at the end of the space.
Like I have mentioned, the reason that I love this place is simple. The place is all about the sneakers that are trending and the store itself also represents a sneaker culture that more and more people are now involved with. I think the space works as a ‘exemplar’ for all sneaker storekeepers- it made me feel the place is the best sneaker shop you can go to in New York City simply because of the scale. They have numerous pairs that are extremely rare that people normally wouldn’t think about buying them but would only look at them as holy grails.
However, the reason that makes the place repugnant is also simple. No matter what, no matter how neat or how stunning the space itself is, it is still a consignment store that earns money off reselling things. First you must know resellers are considered annoying when one wants to buy a pair of sneakers but can’t because of resellers greedily set up the prices of that particular pair into some ridiculous numbers. So personally I do not respect people who blindly earn money off by holding someone’s dream (item to have). I think this hinders people from really enjoy the products that the designers first planned out to offer. (a reasonable price that fits the shoe)
2. Make a first statement of your thesis
Sneaker reselling has long been something that is silly but a very profitable business not only in the States, but around the world. However, Stadium Goods should be one of those pioneers that took this business/ industry up to another level. Rooting as a online sneaker retailing shop it made its appearance into Manhattan’s, world-renowned Soho area. In this project I would love to find out how the space affects people’s thought to sneakers; also this subculture that is turning into a culture. No matter its bringing good or bad to the sneaker industry, it would be interesting to look at how different groups of people look at these shops like Stadium Goods.
3. On what scale will your investigation take place? Will it focus on architecture, environment, interior space, decoration, product??
Since it is a shop I can always go there first person and look for more details of the space/ ask and interview people who also are experiencing the space. I want to try focus on the relationship between the store’s interior and the products inside since they are so closely merged- I want to know how the setup of the space alters people’s thoughts.
4. What media would you use to manifest that investigation and why?
Photos and writing. I think these two ways are more manageable since the process will involve short, casual interviews with strangers.
5. Is your investigation object, process, experience/performance or spatially oriented?
Experience based. No matter people did or did not buy anything from the store, once they step into the store they will experience the store very differently. Some might come in for something particular in mind while some come for a hunt/ lookout. And at last some might just come in and have a glimpse of this astonishing space that is solely focused on sneakers.
6. How will it involve or respond to users? Considering this answer begin to create a set of visualizations including one map and one drawn image that investigate linkages between the psychological and physical aspects of your thesis as it is manifested in the space you have chosen.