City Theatrical's QolorFLEX® LED Tape and Accessories for Retail Display for Courtside at the Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Completed in January 2024, the lighting fabrication team from Design Dimension Inc. was looking for LED tape solutions to illuminate 278 acrylic sneaker shelves for a retail store display at Courtside at the Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, North Carolina. Learn how they used 21 reels of QolorFLEX LED Tape, 12V, Natural White as well as QolorFLEX Dimmers, Power Supplies, and other LED tape accessories to provide the clean LED lighting they needed for a streamlined acrylic sneaker display in this City Theatrical case study.

Design Dimension retail store with stock

Retail photos courtesy of Louis Cherry Architecture.

CASE STUDY:

QolorFLEX LED Tape, Dimmers, Power Supplies, and Accessories for the Sneaker Retail Display at Courtside in Crabtree Valley Mall Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Learn more about Design Dimension

PROJECT SNAPSHOT:

Location:		Courtside, Crabtree Valley Mall, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Project Installation Date:		January 2024

Lighting Design / Fabrication:		Design Dimension Inc.

Lighting Project Lead:		Andrew Domanski

City Theatrical Solutions:		QolorFLEX® LED Tape, 12V, Natural White, 21 reels QolorFLEX 5x8A Dimmers, 2 units QolorFLEX Connect 10 Power Supplies QolorFLEX Accessories including Power Cord, Terminal Block Connectors, 2-Conductor Cable

PROJECT BACKGROUND:

Design Dimension Inc. is based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. They design, fabricate, and install spaces that are intentional, impactful, educational, innovative, playful, and community driven. Design Dimension Inc. project teams have used QolorFLEX LED Tape for multiple installations around North Carolina, including retail, experiential, and commercial, such as Olde Raleigh Distillery.

Design Dimension retail store with stock 3

Photo Courtesy of Louis Cherry Architecture

CASE STUDY Q&A WITH ANDREW DOMANSKI:

City Theatrical (CT): Hi Andrew! Can you tell us about the unique challenges for this Courtside retail display lighting project?

Andrew Domanski (AD): I would say the most challenging aspect of the project was to make such a large display that when finished, would not show a single fastener or screw. It was difficult but we got creative with how the shelves were affixed and how all the casework came together. Also, we were not the only firm building casework in the space. We had to coordinate with the other firms to ensure all our product would match and look cohesive in the space. In the end, the finished product was well worth the trouble.

CT: What was the vision for this design?

AD: The overall vision and aesthetic design were provided by Louis Cherry Architecture. We were tasked with creating a structural drawing set for how the shoe display would be constructed including how all the shelves would be affixed and illuminated. Once all that was figured out, we set ourselves to build and install the display.

Design Dimension QolorFLEX for Sneaker Retail banner empty wall

Photo Courtesy of Design Dimension Inc.

CT: Did any elements affect the installation?

AD: Usually with our type of work, we like to be the last people into a space. That provides far fewer chances of it getting

dirty or damaged. However, with this type of renovation, including the tight timeline and trades involved, we had to install parts of the display while the space was still very much under construction.

CT: What was your process for setting up the acrylic shoe platforms?

AD: Instead of trying to light each shelf individually, we opted to run strands of LEDs behind each horizontal row of shelves. It worked out dimension-wise, such that each row was almost perfectly two reels of QolorFLEX LED Tape in 12V Natural White. I opted not to go for the brightest tape available, due to the size of this display. Yes, we could have dimmed it, and ended up needing to anyway, but with 20 reels of LED tape illuminating 278 acrylic shelves, it is a lot of light in a small retail space. We didn’t want to blind shoppers as they entered the store! The shelves themselves are 3/4” acrylic that is bonded / welded to a 3/8” acrylic backer that has a layer of specialized diffusing acrylic attached to it. This allowed us to keep the LED tape close to the back of the shelves for maximum light transmission while eliminating hot spots.

“QolorFLEX is always a pleasure to work with. It is simple and easy to install, especially in this case, with simple, straight runs.”

- Andrew Domanski, Senior Fabricator/Designer, Design Dimension Inc.

CT: Did any unique testing go into choosing QolorFLEX?

AD: We made a simple mock up of one shelf with the necessary substructure behind the finished front panel to properly test the LED tape. We used this model to set the distance of the QolorFLEX LED Tape back from the shelf as well as test brightness and hot spot elimination.

CT: What was it like to work with QolorFLEX?

AD: QolorFLEX is always a pleasure to work with. It is simple and easy to install, especially in this case, with simple, straight runs. We worked with City Theatrical to make sure any issues were mitigated, and it was a successful project for our client, and enjoyable retail experience for their customers.