bookstore Children’s Sections + more
Half Price Books Richardson, tx
While working for Half Price Books as a bookseller, I was given the amazing opportunity to design and decorate the Children’s section. With the cooperation and support of my coworkers and my managers, I was able to complete this project in under 3 months. I worked for a couple of hours each day, a few days a week dedicated to this project outside of my other duties as a bookseller. It was one of my first large scale projects as an artist!
It wraps around the entire section above the bookshelves. I used recycled cardboard from our product shipments as the canvas for all the pieces. I tiered the layers of cardboard to create a pop-up book effect for the installation. Using the cardboard from shipments was a perfect choice for keeping the cost of materials low AND in congruence with the company philosophy to be kind to the environment.
Hearing kids’ cries of excitement and awe as they entered the section was immensely rewarding for me!
Half price books Lewisville, tx
After the success of designing and decorating the Children’s section at the Half Price Books Richardson store, I was asked to do something similar at the Lewisville store. I brainstormed with the store manager and the idea to make a “Castle in the Sky / Galactic sky” theme was decided upon.
This is the only store that I also made installations for other sections of the store. Over the DVD section, I created 3D popcorn and oversized motion picture film. Near the video games section, I made oversized 3D Tetris blocks out of cardboard boxes.
Half Price Books Burleson, Tx
After the success of designing and decorating the Children’s section at the Half Price Books Richardson store and Lewisville store, I was asked to do something similar at the Burleson store. I brainstormed with a few staff members and we loved the idea of an “Ocean” theme. This project was more collaborative than my last two. I had the majority of my help from two amazing and creative individuals (both HPB staff): Jessica and Brittany.
Jessica suggested we design the space to accommodate the different layers of the ocean, which I thought was brilliant! As the viewer’s eye moves from left to right in the section, it’s like a journey descending through the ocean. We planned the ocean life and scenery based on this core concept. At the end of the journey, you reach the Abyssal zone from which a Kraken emerges from the depths among volcanic rock.
Half Price Books Plano, Tx
After the success of designing and decorating the Children’s sections at the Half Price Books Richardson store, Lewisville store, and Burleson store, I was asked to do something similar at the Plano store. I brainstormed with the store manager and staff. We loved the idea of a “Storybook Forest” theme. I chose to reinvent and design characters from classic nursery stories and children’s literature. These characters included Red Riding Hood, Mother Goose, and Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland tea party. I painted a few mythical and woodland creatures as well.
I absolutely LOVED working on this! I’ve always wanted to make my own version of Alice in Wonderland. I even made silhouette figures in the far background allude to other stories like Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs, and more!
The challenges I had to contend with for this project were the low ceilings, metal crossbeams, and wiring on one wall, and finally an emergency door and exit sign. To integrate the Emergency door into the concept of the Kids section, I designed it to look like a house in the woods. I made a roof and lit attic window over the door.