For the shop front
As with the name, the colour scheme needs to make a statement about the shop and what it sells but also needs to make it stand out from the others around.
I used a yellow/orange/red flame effect for the paintwork of ‘Enchanted Sun’, which stood out well between a conservative black gloss (very fitting for a jewellery shop) and a dark green (appropriate for a shop called ‘The Woods’). ‘Cave’ was painted a deep purple, which is probably the colour most closely associated with ethnic and alternative fashion.
My latest premises came with an aluminium framed glass front and a sign which was well above head height. It was dull and did not stand out from those shops surrounding it.To rectify this I had the metal frame and surrounding bricks painted magenta pink and covered the highest and lowest areas of the glass with magenta pink vinyl. Big white polka dot circles run in stripes to complete the image. Sales were up 50% the week after the work was completed, all accompanied by comments such as, ‘How long have you been here? I didn’t know you were here’.We had been open for six months at that time.
Look at what is next door. If you are surrounded by bright and wacky colours and designs, then make your shop stand out by being more conservative – and vice versa.
For the inside
The colour scheme for the walls inside is a different matter. Whether you stock goods that are brightly coloured or very dark, you want to display them against a plain background and much as I hate to say it, magnolia paint is probably as good a choice as any.
