Bottomless Closet - New York City by Tyrenda Williams

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

INTRODUCTION Bottomless Closet Cameo Closets is pleased to donate the following proposal for exclusive use by Bottomless Closet NYC. As a benefit to the women BC serves Cameo Closets offers the following recommendations for improving work flow and organization systems for the Warehouse (Storage Room), Stock Room (Inventory Room) and Boutique. We’ve also included a SUPPLY LIST of tools and supplies to help maintain systems and reinforce instructional signage for guiding volunteers through the use of these systems.

WAREHOUSE

Sorting Stations & Storage

The storage room, titled the “Warehouse” in this proposal, is the first point of entry for all new donations. It is essentially the shipping and receiving division of Bottomless Closet and serves to keep clutter out of the Stock Room and Boutique. Since space is a premium in both the Stock Room (Inventory Room) and Boutique it is important that going forward the new “Warehouse” be the primary point of receiving and sorting donations for the eventual relaying of usable, i.e. Ready to Wear, merchandise to the Stock Room or shipping of unusable merchandise to the Nickel Man or other beneficiaries. The Warehouse keeps deliveries contained and out of the sight of our clients. It also affords our employees the peace of mind that our volunteers are already in the Warehouse acting as “intercessors” under Jessica’s guidance of all incoming donations, rather than having the physical deposits of daily deliveries compete with their valuable and limited workspaces. The idea is that all sorting begins and ends in the Warehouse and only interview appropriate and BC approved items make it to the Stock Room before entering the Boutique. The following are schematics for the Warehouse and represent recommendations for usage of each of the 2 rooms. The first room is labeled “A” with the numeration beginning along the walls, starting from left to right. And the second room is labeled “B,” again with the numeration beginning on the first wall to the left upon entrance. Warehouse Wall A1 This room, specifically wall A1, is perfectly situated to be the holding place Incoming/Outgoing for incoming donations and outgoing Nickel Man remnants. So whether donations arrive in garbage bags, shipping boxes or crates the designation of an area with approximately 4x6’ of empty space along wall A1 would guarantee a holding place for incoming/outgoing goods. Designating a “loading dock” makes sure we don’t compete with volunteers’ ability to stay on the assembly line and have a space to sort. The place where we ship and receive is completely different from the place where we sort as not to create a bottle neck in the work flow. And like a KEEP CLEAR police line where the presence of yellow tape lets folks know “do not cross” signage or the designation with tape along the floor could achieve the same boundary by reminding folks that this 1 | Love the Clothes You’re In wall is not for hanging racks but solely for |incoming and outgoing deliveries. www.cameoclosets.com |89 Murray Street, 6J | New York, NY 10007 |646-797-6262 ty@cameoclosets.com

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

Warehouse Wall A2

Wall A2 is best utilized as a Ready to Wear Station with a maximum of 5 hanging racks with ascending S-M-L size markers perpendicular to the wall. The addition of a wire storage shelf above the racks that are the complete length of the wall would offer additional storage for out-of-season items like sweaters and scarves, and to hold items for inclusion in future sample sales, i.e. shoes, casual wear and home goods.

Warehouse Wall A3

Wall A3 should be designated as the !ickel Man Sorting Station since the windows prohibit the use of wall mounted shelves and any fabrics stored in the light risk fading. The addition of the Meijer Chrome Heavy Duty Laundry Center in the nook on Wall A3 would allow donations that are already on hangers to be stored while volunteers are inspecting them before dropping them into the Nickel Man bags below or placing merchandise onto the racks sized on Wall A2. The dimensions are 30.5"W x 74"H x 18.5"D; we’ll just need to confirm that the nook allows 91.5” in width for 3 stations.

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

Warehouse Wall A4

A B C

Because Wall A4 is situated near the entrance to the 2nd room it is important to keep this wall as clutter free as possible. So it is best to designate the area as the Steaming & Ironing Station. This supports the flow of traffic from room to room. The installation of 2-wall mounted ironing boards above the sinks to the far left and far right (the far right should leave about 2 feet from the door frame so folks can continue ironing when there is traffic behind them.) The space between the 2 sinks can be used to store the rolling steamer and pulled out into the center of the room for use. Wall mounted iron holders posted on the column on Wall A3 are shown with an X.

X X

Warehouse Wall B1 Wall B1 is ideal as a Shoe Sizing Station. Using the same shelving and sizing system from the old Inventory Room. The new station would include a counter top created by installing a buffed and painted sheet of plywood that is wall-mounted on L-brackets at the same height as the top of the sinks. This allows volunteers a counter top workspace for applying stickers, rubber bands and sharpies and the option to be seated while working. All incoming shoes that need to be paired are located in plastic holding bins below the sinks. Shoes that have met their match are labeled and put on their respective shelves above the counter to await transport to the EW Shoe Station in the Stock Room.

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

Warehouse Wall B2

Wall B2 should be designated as a secondary !ickel Man Sorting Station since the windows prohibit the use of wall mounted shelves and any fabrics stored in the light risk fading. The addition of 3 Meijer Chrome Heavy Duty Laundry Centers in the nook on Wall B2 would allow donations that are already on hangers to be stored while volunteers are inspecting them before dropping them into the Nickel Man bags below or placing merchandise onto the racks sized on Wall B3. The dimensions are 30.5"W x 74"H x 18.5"D; we’ll just need to confirm that the nook allows 91.5” in width for 3.

Warehouse Wall B3

Wall B3 is best utilized like Wall A2 as an XL Ready to Wear Station with a maximum of 5 hanging racks with ascending XL-XXL-XXXL size markers perpendicular to the wall. The addition of a wire storage shelf above the racks that extend the length of the wall would allow storage of out-of-season items in XL sizes like sweaters, lingerie, and hosiery.

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

Warehouse Wall B4

Incoming/Outgoing Option A

Depending on whether or not the door will be in use, Option A and Option B give BC different uses for Wall B4. If the door on wall B4 will be used then the best use of that space is for a secondary “Loading Dock” as shown in Option A (also Wall A1). If the door will remain locked then Wall B4 should become a wall of shelves that allow storage of overflow items that can be contained or folded like sweaters, purses, luggage, belts, scarves, flip flops, pajamas, bath robes and home goods. As long as items remain clearly marked this area becomes a reliable resource for sample sales, workshop door prizes, and birthday & holiday give-aways. And since all sorting begins and ends in the Warehouse the relocation of the Supply Station from the Stock Room (Inventory Room) would be ideal for behind the door as shown in Option B. Also, relocating the hanger stands from the Stock Room to the bottom of the shelves on Wall B4 would enhance efficiency.

L SWEATERS

XL SWEATERS

Option B

XXL SWEATERS

XXXL SWEATERS

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

STOCK ROOM

Ready to Wear

The Inventory Room, titled “Stock Room” in this proposal, holds only those items that have already been vetted and approved as interview appropriate. To use the phrase “Ready to Wear” best describes the type of merchandise and donations that make it into the Stock Room. By keeping clutter at a minimum and browsing at a maximum for volunteers, prohibiting donations from entering this space will increase the productivity and selectivity for outfitting our clients. The following are schematics of the Stock Room and represent recommendations for usage of the space. Secondary Supply Station As we continue to streamline the process of receiving donations and transitioning them to the Boutique, the relocation of the Supply Station to the Warehouse seems to work best since the bulk of sorting is now taking place in the Warehouse. However, it will be necessary to also make these supplies available in the Stock Room in case approved merchandise headed to the Boutique requires additional labeling or repair. So the continued use of this wall as a secondary Supply Station works well but we’ll just have to duplicate it in the Warehouse.

Hanging Rack Right Wall The southern entrance of the Stock Room is very narrow, yet gets a large amount of foot traffic because volunteers check-in and out at this entry point. To open up the traffic flow, reduce clutter and provide more space for volunteers to browse it will be best to simply add a hanging rack along this far right wall. Since sorting now takes place in the Warehouse the Stock Room holds more inventories and alleviates the bottle neck that sometimes occurs in this corner.

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

Overhead Storage Left There will be some overflow items that will need to be at hand or easily retrievable by volunteers while in the Boutique. The installation of shelves along the Stock Room back wall would allow volunteers to retrieve these items without going to the Warehouse. Bras, pantyhose and makeup are just a few of the items that could be stored overhead.

Overhead Storage Center

Overhead Storage Right

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

Hanger Station

Option A

Option B

At present the Sizing & Sorting rackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location in the Stock Room creates a very narrow aisle way between the southern and northern entrances. Now that sorting has moved almost exclusively to the Warehouse, the best use of this wall is to now become a Hanger Station. And instead of organizing hangers in vertical storage on the floor, we get our inspiration from Julia Child with peg board (Option A) or valet hook style organizers that allow wall mounting of hangers (Option B).

Seasonal Station/Steaming Station The present location of the Shoe Station is very narrow and is unable to keep up with the demand and influx of shoes. Regardless of the use of this wall, it will always compete with the closet door that must remain open next to it. For this reason it is best to assign a hanging rack to this wall and designate it for use of seasonal items: coats in the fall and winter, dresses in the spring and summer or as the Steaming Station with the use of a permanent rod.

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

Shoe Station

Sizes continue the full 181” in length

Boots Above

6.5

7.5

8.5

Dress Shoes in Cubbies

Boots Below 6

6.5

7.5

8.5

The NEW Shoe Station has the potential to store 310 pairs (620 if doubled in cubbies) of shoes in canvas hanging shoe racks and up to 88 pairs of boots are held in storage boxes above and below the hanging shoe racks. It is so important to see as many shoes as possible when making an appropriate selection for clients. And the best way to do so is to organize by size and then color with black shoes on the top tier, brown on the 2nd tier, navy on the third, neutrals on the 4th and at the lowest tiers vivid colored heels and flats. Because storage boxes above and below are translucent as clients search for boots in the fall and winter seasons it will be easier to see the various color options by size.

BOUTIQUE

Brand Power

A few recommendations for tweaking the Boutique… Organize – the best opportunity for streamlining the boutique is the unused space in the shallow closet behind the jewelry counter. First we need to remove the hanging rod (if possible), and second, add floor to ceiling stacking drawer storage for socks, hosiery and belts. Color Coordinate – though there is an eclectic mix of fixtures for merchandise on the showroom floor, one way to create a conformed and “on brand” look is by painting as many of the wood fixtures as possible the same or complimenting colors of the colored fixtures. For instance: 1.

A quick coat of spray paint in black for the necklace rack [<><><>] behind the jewelry counter would marry the fixture with the others and give the jewelry pop.

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

2. 3. 4.

Painting the wooden shoe wall in black would marry it with the black sweater cubby and would not reveal scuff marks from sliding shoes like white or light gray might. A quick coat of black on the floral wooden step stool would encourage volunteers to sit on it (and not want to hide it) while fitting shoes since our clients should be seated in red chairs. Adding a tension rod and red curtain panel to the closet frame behind the jewelry counter would match the curtains in the fitting rooms and conceal the 'EW Accessory Station. This would allow us to organize belts, (by measuring each belt and assigning it a size (S-M-L-XL) we can more easily contain and search for color matches) pantyhose and socks. See diagram below:

Accessory Station

G S

Belts

Pantyhose

Knee Highs

Trouser Socks

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

Decorate – though there is limited space in the boutique any attempt to soften the space or make it more inviting and feminine would likely enhance the overall shopping experience for our clients. 1. 2. 3.

The addition of a stylish clock for time management The inclusion of photographs of clients “en vogue” might enliven the walls and inspire first time shoppers The addition of mirrors helps to reflect more light to dark corners and also gives clients different perspectives of their new looks

Maintain – adding the “M” back in “FITTING ROOM” would reinforce to our clients that we are detail-oriented in everything we do. Disposal – the addition of a larger waste basket H with a flip-top lid would help keep the appearance of clutter down in the boutique. The red waste basket is too small and has a tendency to fill up quickly since volunteers in action focus more on the client than keeping the space tidy during short appointment times. The red waste basket would be great in the Coaching Room for disposal of empty cups and candy wrappers.

SUPPLY LIST

Quantity, Cost & Vendor

2 – Wall Mounted Ironing Board $211.76 http://www.kitchensource.com/ironing-boards/ha-5-3iron.htm

2 – Wall Mounted Iron Organizer $11.99 http://www.containerstore.com/shop/laundry/ironing?productId=10000499

2 – Irons $12.99 http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_011W778231110001P?keyword=iron

n/a

1 – Plywood (measurements TBD) 3 – L Brackets (size and load TBD)

6 - Nickel Man Sorting Station – Meijer Chrome Laundry Centers $59.49 http://www.meijer.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=109020&N=0&navparm=0&keyword=Chrome+Heavy+Dut y+Laundry+Center

12 – Wall Mounted Laundry Organizers (for hangers), $17.99 http://www.organize.com/instahanger.html

25 – Canvas Hanging Shoe Racks $7.99 http://www.containerstore.com/shop/closet/hangingBags/shoeSweater?productId=10026620

16 – Large Clear Modular Drawers $ 14.99 http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/drawers?productId=10019978

CAMEO CLOSETS for BOTTOMLESS CLOSET

1 – Stainless Steel Trash Can $11.88 http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10542215

SCHEDULE

2010

Wednesday, January 14, 2010 o Proposal Reviewed by BC o BC Determines Priority of Implementation Wednesday, January 21, 2010 o BC Places Online Orders based on Needs Wednesday, January 28, 2010 o BC Arranges Installation of Shelving & Ironing Boards Wednesday, February 3, 2010 o Volunteers Prepare for Workday by Moving and Rearranging Racks & Merchandise o BC Creates Branded Signage for 'EW Stations Friday, February 5, 2010 - Volunteer Valentine’s Work Day o BC Creates & Assigns Station Setup Teams o BC Posts & Photocopies Visuals & Layouts for Reference by V-DayTeams Wednesday, February 10, 2010 o BC & CC Follow-Up & Final Touches