He works where the Model T was - remodeling garage for office use

He works where the Model T was

Photo: Opened, the room is ready for everything--from stains to repairs. Towel bar above sink can hold wet drip-dry clothesThese "shops" do indeed accomplish what the Hayward, Calif.-based retailer desired of its new prototype--the appearance of a group of specialty stores under one roof. (See DSN, Dec. 14, 1987.)Within the racetrack, the store's length--instead of width--is now bisected, and this center path winds through the newly created "Young World" shop, which houses young men's and juniors together.Photo: Weathered exterior of old garage gives no hint of high-powered transformation that took place insideIn home fashions, Mervyn's again used trend centers and the pillar support of overhead signage to indicate the shop entrances. While the design left domestics similar to the past, housewares is vastly different with the use of European-inspired white fixtures with pastel accents. Some product is taken to the ceiling and the entire area is tiled.Much of the new store has been well received by customers and company alike, but Herbruger said she expects the retailer will make some alterations with its prototype, such as allowing the floor-to-ceiling sweats in men's and women's to be displayed only above a given height. The display of men's denim may also have to change, as in its present location in young men's, many regular men's customers can't find it, she added.

Photo: Bold as bolts of cartoon lightning, jagged plywood brackets were cut on a jigsaw following cardboard patterns