Broadway Windows On Fire

Without a doubt, the best storefront window design is located at G. Willikers toy store. At night they are mesmerizing, and seem as if they are a giant aquarium in a dimly lit room. 

One of G. Willikers Front Windows

Taking a Closer Look

Check Out the Monkey Holding the Book

One of the reasons this store outshines all others, may be because it is privately owned, and they are not putting up franchised corporate posters. Granted, a toy store has a lot of product to work with, but I have never seen the *Toys R Us* windows look like this.

Secondary Entrance

True, there are a lot of local stores that are half heartedly designed, but all it takes is time. The G. Williker windows are not rocket science, a little tape and reflective paper are a major reason the windows look so incredible, along with a lot of time spent positioning their products in front of it.

I’m not really sure who decorates their windows – whether it is done by a professional, staff or local person would be interesting to know. Could you imagine if all the retail windows had this quality of display? Walking down Broadway at night would be an amazing stroll.

Chatting Up the Clothes Line

The Clothes Line is a new store located in the Collamer Building on Broadway, Saratoga Springs.

The Clothes Line logo

Store Front of the Clothes Line Retail Store

Close up of the Clothes Line Window

I feel the pain of downtown retailers with the exceptionally high rents, so I understand budget branding. Clearly a sign company did the branding, not bad, not good, not memorable.

There is no website for the Clothes Line as of right now.

Rolling a Stogie on Broadway

Since I’m supposed to be writing about the culture of Saratoga Springs, not just people who create it, I thought I would add another post about a local cigar shop design. This will help make it less of a gossip style update.

When I was a kid no matter what sporting event I attended, the smell of cigars wafted throughout the entire area. This included high school football and the Saratoga Race Track, and I have rather fond memories of that smell. Today there is only one place you get an aroma like that, and it is located at the corner of Broadway and Phila Streets. 

One of the best designed retail stores on Broadway is the cigar shop at that corner. This location has been many things over the years, including a magazine store, gift shop and clothing store, but it was born to be a cigar shop. The door alone says come on in and have a smoke. Recently the name changed but that was all. I don’t know if it is a new owner or a partnership change.

The original Park Lane Tobacco window

The original name was Park Lane Tobacconist and the logo was two shifty characters smoking in an oval. It wasn’t great, but it fit well into the overall design. Who ever designed it knows a few rules about how to create logo. Check out the old style lighting fixtures, they are perfect with the overall store design. Even if they came with the building, the interior designer chose to keep them and they deserve credit for that decision. 

Park Lane Logo

The new company is James and Sons Tobacconists. President Grant must be a client because I’m pretty sure thats him sitting in the chair. 

 

James & Sons Tobacconists logo

 

The perfect cigar shop

James & Sons Tobacconists window

The sign in the window is neon lighting similar to the previous one that was there. I think this store is my favorite building on the entire commercial area of Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Congratulations to the owners who created it.