Description

When a national wireless retailer was ready to expand its cell phone store in Times Square, it called on Richard M. Cole & Associates to transform a small, ground-floor space into a smart, new flagship for New York City and their largest retail location in the country.

They first commissioned RMC&A in 1996 to design its original New York retail prototype; since then the architect has designed more than 1,500 of their stores nationwide.

This time, the challenge was to quadruple the square footage at the high-volume store by expanding into a vacant basement - without interrupting retail operations.

After leading the client through a complex approval process, the architect opened the space with a dramatic, floating staircase that uses open risers, glass and precision lighting to draw customers to the new, 5,000-square-foot, lower level. A dynamic new storefront, designed by RMC&A, adds to the visual excitement of Times Square