KODE Retail Store
Citrus Heights, California
O+a Inc.

A groovy hang-out for teens with attitude

© David Wakely

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

KODE is a flagship retail store for a cellular phone service marketing to teens. Their market research suggested that the best place to open a teen-focused outlet was in Sacramento. KODE didn't want a retail store designer; they wanted a designer who understood an impossible schedule, a tiny budget, and the grit of the city. So, O + A was hired. They have been outfitting start-up technology companies for over a decade and helped create the South of Market aesthetic in San Francisco.

The retail space is located in a Sacramento strip mall. The client wanted a spare and industrial "hang out" for teens with a lot of parking. Deciding a spare envelope would work for the changing product displays, they stripped the space bare, painted the mechanical equipment and ceiling joists black, and put up white walls. A new product by Lonseal gave the floor a polished concrete look. Special flower-shaped stands were designed to display the phone products. The architect also developed a display system behind the sales desk with a grid of clear plastic pillows that feature "must-have" phone toys. Oversized upholstered seating engulfs the shopper and offers a good view of the action. For privacy teens can enter translucent circular booths called "pods" and test the equipment. A local graffiti artist was commissioned to paint one of the walls. Frosted windows complete the "club" feel, keeping the adult suburban world outside.

On the weekends the place doubles as a dance spot for local teens. Early in the evening, a DJ trains the kids in the fine art of spinning records and later the kids dance on the trademark bug, while a few planets (the "blast") hover overhead. KODE hired local kids to paste posters and stickers with the trademark bug to create a buzz around town. So KODE becomes a place first, a store second.

Formal name of Project:
KODE Retail Store

Location:
Citrus Heights, Calif

Gross square footage:
1,500 sq. ft.

Total construnction cost:
$50,000

Client:
Victor Friedburg

Design architect:
O+a Inc.
241 5th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: (415) 908-1880
Fax: (415) 908-1881
www.o-plus-a.com