Have you ever walked by a Hollister clothing store and been drawn inside? It’s not the questionable posters or the overwhelming fragrance wafting down the mall, but the design of the store that is attractive to me. I snapped a picture of one storefront today in The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, Ca.
Notice that nowhere on the outside of the store does it even say “Hollister.” The only signage they have is a surf board that says their company name on it, but you practically have to walk inside to see it. Why does this work for them? I think they’ve been a brand that is recognized by it’s store front. Every Hollister looks similar. They can be in California, Texas, Oklahoma, New York, Louisiana or Georgia and the receptivity is incredibly close. If you walked by this store, would you know what it was?
This company has figured out how to brand an environment. Let me ask you this – does your business or ministry has a branded environment that attracts people despite the name on the sign outside? What can we learn from these companies: Hollister, Anthropologie, Ruehl, Urban Outfitters and the emerging storefront?
Micah Foster 
The Conversation