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Sanjay Gangal
Sanjay Gangal
Sanjay Gangal is the President of IBSystems, the parent company of AECCafe.com, MCADCafe, EDACafe.Com, GISCafe.Com, and ShareCG.Com.

Dryy Garment Care in Washington, DC by CORE architecture + design

 
April 20th, 2020 by Sanjay Gangal

Article source: CORE architecture + design

With the rise of online shopping, the realm of brick and mortar retail is evolving. Brands are shifting their business model away from the display and sale of tangible merchandise and refocusing on creating a consumer experience that engages customers, educating them about the product quality and earning their trust to create customer loyalty. Emerging from this trend, Dryy Garment Care revolutionizes the dry cleaning industry with an innovative retail concept focused on customer service, community engagement, and GreenEarth cleaning processes.

Image Courtesy © Ron Ngiam

  • Architects: CORE architecture + design
  • Project: Dryy Garment Care
  • Location: Washington, DC (several locations)
  • Photography: Ron Ngiam
  • Design Partner: Allison Cooke
  • Design Team: Daniel Chapman, Kristen Van Hise
  • Client: Dryy Garment Care
  • MEP Engineer: Capitol Engineering Group, LLC
  • Structural Engineer: Rathgeber/Goss Associates, PC
  • Brand Agency: Polygraph
  • Gross Built Area: 1,110 SF
  • Project Completion Year: 2019

Image Courtesy © Ron Ngiam

Evolving from its original valet/pick-up and delivery service model with limited face-to-face interaction and minimal focus on design, their new concept encourages personal interaction with knowledgeable staff in a welcoming environment. Dryy’s retail establishment services customers, who are looking for an expedited garment pick-up experience and those, who need more consultation or guidance in caring for their garments, tailoring or garment fittings. Additionally, Dryy serves as a welcoming and approachable community partner, connecting people through featured events and educational opportunities. As part of this approach, Dryy seeks retail locations within mixed-use residential buildings to establish themselves within the community as a partner to create trust and customer loyalty with its residents.

Image Courtesy © Ron Ngiam

Image Courtesy © Ron Ngiam

CORE collaborated with Dryy to develop a prototype concept that fine-tunes their operating model and establishes a strong visual identity for the new concept that first entered the Union Market neighborhood in Washington, DC, serving as the retailer’s flagship location. The fresh and clean aesthetic along with numerous programmatic elements provide a friendly environment. Customers are invited to linger and sit down with staff members to establish their service preferences or discuss care requirements for a special item. Others, who seek to quickly proceed through the space, simply queue along an education wall with pricing and give-away displays for garment drop-off or pick-up at the interactive POS.

Image Courtesy © Ron Ngiam

Image Courtesy © Ron Ngiam

The concept moreover features integrated seating areas that can be used for community workshops, presentations or group fittings. To emphasize Dryy’s key brand promise of transparency and trust, the design purposefully exposes the working areas beyond the POS counter, encouraging guests to interact with tailors and staff for a truly interactive customer experience. Warm wood tones, rounded powder-coated blue metal rail elements, glass featuring tonal blues, and quartz countertops in a bright finish, lend a refined, boutique-like feel to the space. Furthermore, the design intentionally maintains a simple exterior to activate the interior, which highlights prominent visuals, including a custom art piece, three button light fixtures, and scrolling digital brand content. These elements lend a playful mood and help promote Dryy’s services to individuals passing by the storefront, who are unfamiliar with the concept.

Image Courtesy © Ron Ngiam

Image Courtesy © Ron Ngiam

The design fosters meaningful relationships between staff, customers, and the community. Designer Kristen Van Hise states, “we wanted to create a recognizable space where customers could interact with the Dryy brand. By providing them with the opportunity to experience the breadth of services offered, as well as demonstrating the level of detail and care taken with the clothing, the retail space fosters a high level of trust between the brand and its customers.” Dryy has been opening additional retail locations, including City Vista in Washington, DC, and aims to continue to revolutionize the industry for years to come.

Image Courtesy © Ron Ngiam

Image Courtesy © CORE architecture + design

Image Courtesy © CORE architecture + design

Image Courtesy © CORE architecture + design

Image Courtesy © CORE architecture + design

Image Courtesy © CORE architecture + design

Image Courtesy © CORE architecture + design

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Categories: Interiors, Shop




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