Chocolopolis
Chocolopolis is Seattle’s destination for lovers of chocolate, expressing owner Lauren Adler’s passion to help people explore the story of chocolate “from bean to bar” in a relaxed, friendly and educational atmosphere. For the launch of her new store on Seattle’s upscale Queen Anne Avenue, Adler turned for advice and assistance to Works Consulting.
Challenge
Chocolate expert Lauren Adler wanted to share her passion for artisan chocolate with the world in a new retail store aimed at educating the public within a delicious environment. A choice retail space on Seattle’s upscale Queen Anne Hill required a complete renovation to accommodate Lauren’s vision.
Solution
Works Consulting collaborated closely with Lauren and Huntley Architecture on store design and display approaches. We developed and helped execute purchasing and staffing plans that established Chocolopolis as a world-class customer experience and a Seattle chocolate connoisseurs’ destination.
Results
Chocolopolis is an inviting retail shop that has garnered abundant positive press, with consistent year to year sales increases, a stellar staff team, and customer-oriented daily operations.
“I hired Miriam Works to help me plan the merchandising and operations for a new retail store. Miriam brought years of experience to the table and provided excellent advice throughout the launch process, enabling me to make very few mistakes upon opening. She provided store layout advice during the architectural design phase, minimizing operational issues and ensuring the architectural design jived with the merchandising plan. She gave feedback during the buying phase, making recommendations about how broad and deep to go in initial inventory purchases.
She assisted with the employee hiring and training process, teaching my employees best practices in customer service procedures. She brought retail industry standards to my business, making sure we had proper cash register reconciliations, standard operating procedures for shoplifting, clear guidelines for employees to follow on returns and so many other issues that are important on a day-to-day basis. While my store has successfully opened and is running well, I continue to seek out Miriam’s advice. She’s an invaluable asset to any retail business.”
