Candy Land: New Sarris factory store unveiled
For Emma Cline, creativity, collaboration and a healthy dose of fun are the keys to sweet success.
Leading the tight-kit Fukui Architects team that designed the new Sarris Candies factory store in Canonsburg was a 无毛视频渇un, full-circle moment无毛视频� for the Bethel Park native, one she will savor for the rest of her career.
无毛视频淚t was fun to bring my skills that I learned somewhere else into a space that means a lot to me,无毛视频� Cline said, 无毛视频淚 mean, who doesn无毛视频檛 love the Sarris name? It无毛视频檚 such a big part of every South Hills persons无毛视频� life.无毛视频�
Converting the historic former Fort Pitt Bridgeworks property on Meadow Lane into a state-of-the-art chocolate factory and retail space was no small feat. According to Sarris CEO and President Bill Sarris, the goal was to design a structure that would allow people to visit and view the production facility to see how the company无毛视频檚 iconic chocolate products are made.
无毛视频淚 think they always knew they wanted a retail store in the front,无毛视频� Cline said, 无毛视频渢hey really wanted something fun and funky and different.
Cline said that 无毛视频渕odern Willy Wonka,无毛视频� served as the starting point for the design brief, which allowed her team to begin brainstorming potential creative direction for the project.
无毛视频淚t makes it easier when they want something funky and different,无毛视频� she said.
The team, which includes firm founder Felix Fukui and architectural designer Isabella Bola帽os, generated a range of renderings depicting different options for the project, drawing inspiration from other retail spaces, candy stores and even a zoo.
无毛视频淣obody works in a vacuum, we无毛视频檙e always looking at other projects that we like, taking tidbits and creating them for our space,无毛视频� Cline said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a lot of trial and error.无毛视频�
Cline said that the Sarris team were eager collaborators in the project, which helped keep the creativity flowing.
According to Sarris, 无毛视频渨e had a number of meetings as the project moved forward, each step in the process made it a lot easier to imagine the final result.无毛视频� As the project progressed, Cline and her team refined the creative direction until they arrived at the final design after dozens of iterations.
无毛视频淚 think we got really lucky that (Sarris leadership) were so on board to do something weird and different,无毛视频� Cline said, 无毛视频渢here无毛视频檚 a lot of fun details we were able to work through that were really incredible.无毛视频�
Striking the right balance between functionality and fun was critical.
The new retail space is decorated like a larger-than-life box of chocolates, with larger than life models of Sarris无毛视频� signature pretzels and other details.
Cline said that she focused on designing a space where people of any age can experience that 无毛视频渒id in a candy store无毛视频� sense of wonder and excitement as they explore the space.
This includes several custom-made product display shelves that curve, giving an immersive feel to a patron standing in the center.
One of Cline无毛视频檚 proudest contributions is the incorporation of 1960s chocolate molds that were used by late company founder Frank Sarris in his Adams Avenue factory.
无毛视频淚 told (Bill Sarris) we have to use these and put them up, it无毛视频檚 so cool to have the history be a part of your project,无毛视频� Cline said. 无毛视频淚 think it turned out really well.无毛视频�
The molds were powder coated bright candy colors and mounted behind the checkout counter, providing a tangible link between Sarris无毛视频� past and present.
无毛视频淪o if you无毛视频檙e checking out, you can look up and recognize some of the molds,无毛视频� Cline said. 无毛视频淚 recognize the Easter bunny ones my grandmom used to get me.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 one of my favorite details,无毛视频� Store Operations Manager Lizzy Henry added.
The Fukui team also hid a number of miniature decals of Sarris无毛视频� mascots Franky Twist and Coco the Chocolate Bar in discreet spots around the store, giving young visitors even more reason to explore.
无毛视频淎nd if you go up the stairs, you see that the anchors for the handrails are little chocolate covered pretzels, which was touch from the person who installed that,无毛视频� Cline said, 无毛视频渢hat无毛视频檚 the beauty of a project like this, everyone is so excited that they put their own personal spin on it and do what they can to make it special.无毛视频�
Cline credits this pervasive, productive collaboration for the project无毛视频檚 overall success.
无毛视频淎 project like this could have been incredibly stressful 无毛视频� a headache and a half, but the Sarris team was so willing to get crazy, do fun stuff, and the builders were so easy to work with. It really was one of the most fun projects in my 12-year career,无毛视频� Cline said.
Sarris said he is 无毛视频渆xtremely happy无毛视频� with the final design.
无毛视频淵ou know the saying, it takes a village to raise a child, well, it took a village of people to make this happen. I would love to list them all, but I无毛视频檓 afraid if I missed one, I would regret it, so I will stick with the village,无毛视频� Sarris said.
Tours of the space have been in high-demand since the new factory store opened earlier this month.
Henry said that the response from the public has been 无毛视频渇antastic, so far it has been overwhelming in the most positive way.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 incredible seeing how chocolate brings people together,无毛视频� she said.
Interested parties can book a 45-minute tour of the new factory and retail space five days a week at https://sarriscandies.com/products/public-group-tour.