Results ORIENTED

One year later, the winner of the Transitions Dispensary Makeover Contest, Heidi Fahringer, OD, reports the results of her dispensary's new look

By Erinn Morgan

Have you ever wondered if a dispensary remodel would be a boon to your bottom line? Here, we unveil and compare the business results for the practice of Heidi Fahringer, OD, one year after she won the Transitions Dispensary Makeover Contest.

Working with Bright Display, the design firm contracted to consult on Fahringer's redesign, this forward-thinking optometrist endeavored to redesign her decades-old space, complete with yellowed, old rotating displays that hid frames from view and a floor-to-ceiling reception wall that blocked patients from easily entering, or even seeing, the dispensary.

After enduring paint fumes, sawdust, and ripped-up carpeting all while remaining open for business, the interior changes to Fahringer's space are remarkable. It has been transformed into an open, light, and inviting place.

"It's amazing and something I would never have been able to do on my own, to pick out a designer and go through all the steps," says Fahringer. "Winning the Transitions contest made it so simple. I don't think I would have been able to get this done on my own."

In the beginning, Fahringer was chosen from a field of approximately 400 entries, which were narrowed down through a rigorous process of screenings and personal interviews. She was selected at the end by an independent consultant. Eyecare Business chronicled the steps along the way to completion, including covering the numerous challenges presented by the optometrist's dispensary and the roster of targeted recommendations offered by Bright Display to address them.

Before undergoing a transformation, Heidi Fahringer, OD, had a lower patient and sales volume. One problem holding her back was that her displays did not allow for lots of product to sell

As a result, Fahringer reports that both her sales and patient volume have increased. Her office's total revenue for the period from August to July increased by more than 14 percent from $373,760 in 2005/2006 to $430,489 in 2006/2007.

She attributes the increase to several factors. "The office's sales have risen, in part, because of the increased organization of the frames, the display towers in front for 24/7 window shopping, and carrying more inventory," says Dacie Lewis, owner of Bright Display.

PERFECT TIMING

This dispensary makeover came at just the right time for Fahringer's practice, which is located in Culver City, Calif., a fast-growing section of Los Angeles County. The redeveloping downtown area houses Sony Pictures, Culver Studios, art galleries, shops, and new restaurants, all of which translates to lots of walk-by traffic.

A new foot-traffic-only plaza is in the works on Fahringer's street that will also make this area pedestrian and window shopping friendly.

A new look for a practice in Culver City, Calif., has created a series of turnarounds: in the look of the practice, in the attitude of patients, and in the happiness of the owner. Office design by Bright Display, sponsored by Transitions Optical

"It is really busy in Culver City," says Fahringer. "We just had a fine dining restaurant open up, and they are closing off this street and making it into a plaza."

She also reports that the local changes, coupled with her office's new look and inviting window displays, make it much easier for people to notice her business. "We now have the window displays and that bring people in. We leave the lights on at night and it's really busy here on this street. The walk-by and walk-in traffic has definitely increased," she reports.

"Before, there was a wall right there at our entrance that blocked them from wandering in to look. Now they can make their way back to browse," she continues. "In addition, our old displays were not conducive to looking at the frames because they rotated and hid frames in the back. Now people think we have a lot more frames."

As soon as the redesign was complete, Fahringer changed her standard eye exam recall letter to include information about their remodel.

"We put in that we were completely remodeled with an increased selection of frames," she says. "One patient who had moved out of the area came back because she wanted to see what the office looked like. Everybody has really loved it."

ENABLING CHANGE

One of the most profitable changes to result from the redesign was an increase in the number of frames that could be displayed in the dispensary. "One thing people say is that the dispensary looks much bigger," notes Fahringer. "And the lifters do such a nice job of presenting the products. When everything is flat, people can't see the product. The new displays make our high-end product look more special."

Before the remodel, this dispensary was showing only 500 frames. Today, with all the changes, more than 1,250 styles are on display. "We carry everything from Booth & Bruce, Prada, and D&G to Ralph Lauren, Versace, Silhouette, and adidas. Our product range has really increased," she says.

The redesign has been a win-win situation for Fahringer's business, which she expects to continue to grow. "I really love it," says Fahringer. "It is so much more fun to come to work, to be proud to open my office door instead of embarrassed." EB