When Laguna Beach, California’s Thalia Surf Shop owner Nick Cocores’ discovered that the art gallery next door was packing it in he realized it was the perfect opportunity to not only expand his retail footprint, but also to partner with a popular brands.
“We approached Vans with the space coming available and asked them if they wanted to work with us,” Cocores said (pictured right with Steve Van Doren). “They were totally supportive and wanted to get on board. And so here we are.”
Thalia has carried Vans since the shop opened in 2001 but because the the cozy size of the shop the shoes were limited to a small wall section where Cocores was able to display 25-30 pairs of shoes. But now with close to 900 feet devoted to the brand he can obviously show more. “We can probably have 100 shoes in here now,” he said looking over the new Vans Thalia Surf Shop space.
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The retail design of the Van’s side is one of the first projects new Vans Director of Environmental Design Michael Hurst has completed since arriving at the company a little over two months ago. “We did this all in three weeks,” Hurst said. “I designed it over a weekend, presented it on Monday, and we started rolling.”
Hurst design job was to blend the Vans store with the strong design and graphic sensibilities that Cocores has established with his shop. “We worked to mesh the bohemian surf culture with Vans,” Hurst said. “We used the same ceiling treatments. And we used a lot of found pieces that speak to Vans Heritage. We worked to tie the two together.”
Much of the store’s walls are chalkboard and Hurst said the space is meant to allow experimentation. “The chalkboard that we applied up here is meant to be an organic living element within the store,” he said. “People can actually draw on it and experiment on it. A lot of the fixtures are steel and meant to be written on as well. Again, it’s meant to be touched and lived in an that’s what this environment is all about.”
This is a similar design that Vans hopes to roll out with more retailers in the future. “We are very interested in doing more partner stores,” Hurst said. “Doug [Pallidini] is driving that. It’s something that is fresh for our industry for sure.”
At the shop’s grand opening party last night (December 2, 2010), while VIPs, shop locals, surfers and media milled through the space snacking on pizza and Primo Beer, Cocores seemed pleased with what Vans and Hurst had created in the room next door. “I’m very stoked to be working with them,” he said. “It’s a great partnership.”
Michael Hurst and Vans Vice President of Marketing Doug Palladini.
Father and Son: Christian and Grayson Fletcher.
Surfline’s Executive Vice President Dave Gilovich and Vans Chris Overholser.
A bottle in front of me.
