DESIGN IS INTELLIGENCE MADE VISIBLE
Of course restoring 67 Richmond to its original 1885 prominence is a key step on the way to opening the River Bookshop. But even an historic exterior can use a little creative push. Then there is a “Victorian new and now” interior to create; and the marketing of a new brand to develop. So, lots to do to set up a new business for success.
And you don’t get all this done and done well without a great team behind you.
“ a team is a small number of people with complimentary skills, committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”
Katzenburg & Smith
Creating a new Amherstburg destination and ultimately a successful business involved a number of teammates. Colleen and I were lucky that we knew a lot of extremely talented people so we called on them for their help.
Here is the River Bookshop team roster:
Lebel & Boulaine Architects
Past winner of Designlines Magazine Designer of the Year. Luc and Victoria provided the key architectural and design plans for both the inside and the exterior of the bookshop.
One Method
Experts in design, advertising and “experiments” - One Method helped us with our original brand positioning and created our logo and wordmark. They pushed us to create a Ramsay St. wall mural and gave us early thinking on the second floor. They also came up with a fun idea for the first floor. You have to visit the bookshop to find it. The creative and strategic team was made up of Jeffrey (Windsor boy), Max, Patricia, and one of our favourite friends, Amin.
ModelCtzn
They have a wonderful track record of launching successful businesses in Toronto. We gave them the assignment of creating a very unique event space on the second floor of our building. Creating something that simply doesn’t exist in Essex County today. Something that will be another unique addition to Amherstburg. We won’t tell you what they are creating for us - it will be a surprise. But two clues: F Scott Fitzgerald and rum runners! Stay tuned to see what Mike, Justin, and Maya have created.
But a great design doesn’t go anywhere unless you have individuals who can execute superbly. That job fell mainly to Fortis’ Silvia and Jamie, supported by Gray Development Group’s principal Randy and the hardworking crew of tradespeople who are putting it all together.
Thank you all !
River Bookshop is our personal investment in Amherstburg. It is intended to make an economic ,cultural and social contribution to our community. We hope you enjoy it as much as we liked creating and building it.
Colleen and Richard Peddie