The flagship for the retailer occupied 120,000 square feet in the center of Times Square.  Attractions included a full-scale Ferris wheel, and a 25’ animatronic tyrannosaurus.

30 Stores in One, all Opening at Once

Big Show oversaw the installation of 30 individual brand stores-within the store — from Microsoft’s XBox launch to a full-scale Barbie Dream House, coordinating the diverse and complex vendor requirements and supervising the delivery, setup, and operation of three floors of branded themed stores within one space. Balancing the demands and conduction needs for power, connectivity, automation, lighting, and sound, with the realities of traffic flow and wearout required an understanding of NY building code, retail requirements, and the requisite entertainment value of each attraction.

The conversation began at the architect’s office, when a realization of the special demands of this installation grew along with the ambition of the plans.  Non-traditional building materials, multiple ‘star’ vendors all driving toward a single opening date, and the theatrics of a full-scale dinosaur called for unusual skills.  Big Show, having just completed a show in Las Vegas featuring animatronic dragons, was able to balance the timing, testing, and artistic needs of each vendor.  The only interruption to the work was 9/11, when the construction teams turned their attention to volunteering for the massive recovery and salvage task downtown. Only when they had done what they could to help there, did the construction of the store resume.