Graphic artist Mike Olivera paints a colorful mural in Critters' puppy love room. Depicting dogs frolicking in a grassy park, the mural is a cheerful focal point for the store.

By Karen Long MacLeod

Nothing says "pet store" better than an assortment of healthy, energetic animals. But nothing detracts from this image more than out-of-date, uninteresting livestock displays.

And that was the problem facing Mark and Caroline Janczak, owners of Critters Pet Shop in St. Charles, Ill. They knew they needed to change their displays to convey a much-needed sense of fun and excitement.

Over the past several months, the Janczaks have taken steps to upgrade their store--with the help of two well-known industry consultants, one prominent distributor/wholesaler, 20 leading pet supply manufacturers (and their sales representatives), and the staff of PET AGE magazine. They have a budget of $60,500, including their own minimum $10,000 contribution, and expect to receive more than $25,000 worth of products donated by sponsors.

In this segment of our year-long series about Critters' redesign, we'll see how the Janczaks redid their puppy and small-animal displays. (Although this series will continue until July 2000, the Janczaks will complete the actual renovation and remerchandising of their store in less time.)

The Great Debate

The service area behind the puppy enclosure.

Although they have done well with fish and aquarium supplies, Mark and Caroline Janczak have always considered dogs and small animals to be their specialties. And rightly so. In 1998, Critters did 31 percent of its business in the dog department (dry goods, 11 percent of sales; dog food, 11 percent; and puppies, 9 percent) and 15 percent of its business in the small-animals department (dry goods, 11 percent; small animals, 4 percent).

After touring the store last spring, project consultants Simon Handelsman of Out of Hand Inc. (Newburyport, Mass.) and Mike McCahill of Retail Store Planning (Roseville, Calif.) were adamant about the need to create more effective animal-oriented focal points to increase turns on puppies and pocket pets.

Specifically, Mike wanted to reposition Critters' puppy adoption center, consisting of enclosures and a play area where customers (and employees) interact with puppies. More importantly, he wanted to transform the bare-bones play area into a more appealing, customer-friendly "love room."

A painting of a street sign welcomes customers to "Puppy Park."

Because a city ordinance limits the number of dogs Critters can carry, the Janczaks saw no reason to expand their puppy adoption center. However, they saw the wisdom of using thematic decor and some type of bench to make the love room a customer-friendly attraction.

Mike also wanted to make a bold statement about small animals by installing a wall of upscale display habitats, complemented by portable playpens located strategically around the perimeter of the sales floor.

As with the rain forest ("Natural Appeal," February 2000), the consultants and the store owners discussed numerous options for placing the puppy adoption center and the small-animal display.

Lobbying for a new position that would make puppies more prominent and allow more display space for dog and cat food, Mike suggested moving the puppy adoption center from its original location in the left rear corner of the sales floor to the middle of the right wall. At the same time, he suggested displaying small animals next to birds and in the left rear corner, where the puppy display was in the original floor plan.

An inexpensive bench continues the park theme in the love room.

Although they understood his logic, Mark and Caroline just couldn't go along with Mike's proposal. They believe the puppy display draws traffic to the back of the store, which is a priority for them. They also like having the puppy enclosures as close as possible to the utility sink, to simplify maintenance.

To address their concerns about cleanup, Mike then suggested shifting the puppy adoption center to the right rear corner of the main sales floor. Mark and Caroline saw no real advantages to this idea.

In the end, they agreed to leave the puppy adoption center in the left rear corner of the sales area--but they shifted it back about 7 feet, having decided to cut the owners' office in half. In this position, Mike said, the puppy adoption center promotes better traffic flow and allows room for an extra rack of dog food.

Finally, Mark and Caroline decided to place the small-animal display next to the rain forest and small-bird displays in the right rear corner of the main sales floor.

The Puppy Area

Building the puppy adoption center was the easiest part of the whole renovation process, said David English, owner of Jade Custom Builders Inc. (St. Charles, Ill.), the general contractor for the project.

Portable habitats by SuperPet add color to the small-animal area.

A modern-looking display unit by DAS effectively highlights pocket pets.

Ordinary drywall over 2-by-6 framing forms the back of the puppy adoption center, as well as the owners' now-smaller office. David installed a one-way mirror in this shared wall so Mark and Caro class="GallBlack"line can keep an eye on activity around the puppy enclosures even when they're in their office.

A recycled and repainted hollow-core door gives employees easy access to the service area behind the puppy enclosures. White kitchen cabinets on the wall provide storage for frequently used cleaning supplies.

"Actually, we have more room behind the puppy cages in this design than we had before," Mark said.

A 36-inch-high swinging door separates the service area from the love room. This was a more economical option than the sliding glass door specified in Mike's plans, Mark and Caroline said.

To the left of the puppy display unit is the love room, designed as a showpiece for the store. With full-height side walls and a 36-inch pony (partial) front wall with a swinging door, it gives potential puppy buyers a measure of privacy, yet gives other customers a glimpse of the excitement.

Occupying about 40 square feet, the love room is similar in size to the rain forest in the right rear corner of the store, but is narrower and deeper.

For interior finishes in the love room, the Janczaks chose durable, easy-to-clean materials that will withstand puppies' sharp nails. The floors are covered with wedgewood-colored floor tile to complement the floor in the fish room. The lower third of the walls are covered with multicolored laminate over rigid Luan underlayment. The seams are sealed with clear caulk to prevent waste, water and cleaning products from seeping into crevices.

Even the swinging doors are laminated. "We hired a professional laminator to make sure all the seams and edges are even and will hold up under usage," David said.

Taking to heart the consultants' advice about using a theme to make the puppy area more appealing, Mark and Caroline hired Mike Olivera, a local graphic designer, to paint an eye-catching mural on the upper portion of the love room's interior walls.

The mural, which cost $675 and was completed in a weekend, depicts dogs frolicking in a grassy park alongside a winding stream reminiscent of the river that winds through downtown St. Charles. A painting of an old-fashioned street sign for "Puppy Park" welcomes visitors into the cheerful space.

Completing the picture is a park bench to encourage customers to make themselves comfortable while they play with the puppies of their choice. Although Mike had suggested a custom-built storage bench, Mark and Caroline chose a bench from a home improvement store.

At first, they wanted an intricately detailed wrought-iron bench. After looking at several styles, however, they realized that the detailed ironwork would be difficult to clean and could actually trap a puppy's foot or head.

Instead, Mark and Caroline chose a contemporary-looking bench with a resin frame and wood slats. With smooth surfaces, the lightweight bench is easy to clean and poses no safety hazard to curious puppies. Best of all, it cost only $99.

Clearly visible from the front door--or anywhere on the sales floor--the cheerful "Puppy Park" conveys Critters' unique personality and invites customers to linger while they make important decisions about buying a four-legged companion.

The Small-Animal Area

Upgrading the small-animal displays involved more merchandising savvy--along with the acquisition of upscale habitat units--than construction skills.

Based on our consultants' recommendations, the Janczaks installed two modern-looking small-animal display units by Dutch Aquarium Systems (Waxahachie, Texas). Leased for $1,483 each, the units are 41 inches wide by 20 inches deep by 84 inches tall and stand in a highly visible spot between the rain forest and the entrance to the fish room.

Simple, but efficient and easy to maintain, the small-animal unit occupies less floor space than Critters' old enclosures but accommodates more animals. "Before, we had 15 small-animal habitats," Caroline said. "Now, we have 18, and they are bigger than what we had."

She added, "Because each individual enclosure is lighted separately, you can really see the animals."

To promote more personal service and prevent animals from escaping, staff members lock the small-animal (and reptile) enclosures. When employees started to misplace the keys to the habitats, Caroline attached them to chunks of 2-by-4 "painted an obnoxious color."

Complementing the free-standing playpen they already had (purchased three years ago from Oceanic Systems Inc. of Dallas) are three SuperPet Care Homes donated by Pets International Ltd. (Arlington Heights, Ill.), an official sponsor of the PET AGE Pet Store Make-over project. The portable wire enclosures feature plastic shelves in teal, purple and fuchsia colors.

Color Challenges

Throughout the make-over project, Mark and Caroline have tried to follow the color scheme Mike recommended--even when they needed to make cuts or substitutions to stay within their budget. Most of the time, they've been successful. In the small-animal department, however, they have deviated significantly from the color plan.

Because DAS offered its small-animal units in only three colors and a relaminating kit was not available, the Janczaks ordered the small-animal unit in gray laminate rather than the "sea" Mike suggested. "At least it is compatible with the metal Hoei bird cages we already had," Caroline said.

According to Mike's plan, the black animal playpen was supposed to be relaminated in "merlot terra." The Janczaks did not change the laminate on the playpen, since it coordinates well with the black SuperPet enclosures. They are not using the merlot terra color anywhere in the store.

Furthermore, by deciding to eliminate the soffit above the main small-animal display, Mark and Caroline lost an opportunity to add coordinating color and thematic signage to the area.

The Fruits of Their Labors

Guided by our consultants and assisted by several craftsmen and vendors, the Janczaks have worked hard to replace and rejuvenate their livestock displays. They built a dramatic new fish room with sophisticated display units ("Fish in Focus," January 2000). They created a rain forest to highlight medium and large birds ("Natural Appeal," February 2000). They used artistic touches to add a touch of whimsy to their puppy adoption center. And they installed new enclosures to showcase small animals. All these customer-friendly changes help make Critters look more contemporary--and compare more favorably with nearby superstores.

Now that the renovation project is nearing completion, the Janczaks are beginning to see the fruits of their labors. A preliminary comparison of sales in January 1999 vs. January 2000 shows that freshwater fish sales had more than doubled ($1,416 vs. $2,365); puppy sales had tripled ($2,175 vs. $7,300); and small-animal sales had increased 60 percent ($1,514 vs. $2,493), Mark said. He expected sales to improve even more once they kicked off a new advertising campaign to herald the store's grand reopening.

Now that the puppy love room is complete, how will customers respond? Will sales of puppies and dog supplies increase as much as the Janczaks--and our fearless consultants--hope? And how will livestock-oriented focal areas relate to newly merchandised fixtures and rotating end caps?

Next month, we'll see how new store fixtures and a new merchandising plan help give Critters a bright new look. In our May issue, we'll look at Critters' new "identity system," including logos, business cards, signs and other printed materials. PA