The Keen Garage
As a lead designer and collaborative member of the Lotus Design Team, I contributed conceptual and detailed sketches, 3d models and played an integral role in the development of the overall design and experience presented with the Keen Flagship store in Portland OR. As a team we worked to continue Keen’s commitment to conservation and sustainability by designing and building the new Keen Garage in downtown Portland using a number of reclaimed materials from local sources.
The 105 year old building re-opened after a 10 month renovation that incorporated many salvaged elements from the former space into fixtures and interactive elements. Some of the reclaimed materials used include marstan mat, reclaimed fir beams, old scaffolding, bowling alley floring and more.
The new Garage presents a playful and convivial new environment and a unique retail experience for kids and adults.
Having been a Portland based business for ten years, the company remained loyal to its home city and moved their headquarters into the top four floors of the historic building, which towers over the hip and busy Glisan Street in NW Portland’s Pearl District. The opening of the Keen Garage was the last phase of the company’s move, and the Garage title is derived from the consideration that the retail space is an extension of the brand’s home.
The retail experience includes interactive fixtures that utilize simple yet exciting movements powered by old gears, a cash wrap made from reclaimed wood and keen outsoles, a ‘slide’ that delivers your shoes from the upstairs storage area, swings and ‘sit and spins’, as well as ‘create your keen’ work area made from reclaimed chemistry work station.