Arighi Bianchi used a 110ft illuminated advent calendar to draw Christmas visitors into its Macclesfield furniture store, giving customers a reason to stop by between larger home purchases. The family-run retailer built a holiday program around showroom events, seasonal merchandising, a New York prize trip and a gift collection.
At 45ft wide, the installation stretches across the arched windows of the Grade II listed building. Its imagery comes from 52 pupils at Whirley Primary School, and the same drawings will be shown inside the showroom, giving families a personal link to the visit.
Arighi Bianchi shows how children’s artwork on a 110ft facade can turn a holiday window into a co-creation as well as a decoration, helping the store draw in families not shopping for furniture, while the ‘Little Cherubs’ gift drive and in-store events broaden the site from a purchase stop to a destination.
Image Credit: Arighi Bianchi
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Co-created Holiday Facades
- Retail storefronts shaped by local artwork create emotional neighborhood relevance while turning seasonal displays into repeat-visit community attractions.
- Destination Showroom Events
- Furniture retailers are expanding beyond infrequent big-ticket purchases through programming that makes showrooms valuable for leisure, gifting and family outings.
- Philanthropic Seasonal Retail
- Holiday campaigns tied to gift drives and charitable collections add social purpose to store visits while deepening brand affinity during peak shopping periods.
Where This Applies
- Home Furnishings Retail
- Showrooms can become experiential community venues that generate foot traffic between major purchase cycles through events, seasonal storytelling and local partnerships.
- Experiential Marketing
- Large-scale illuminated installations offer brands a physical media format that blends spectacle, participation and shareable public engagement.
- Community Arts
- Children’s creative contributions can be integrated into commercial spaces in ways that elevate civic pride and create new visibility for schools and families.
