» Meet the Burger Family: HP Store Vancouver Install

The third Thursday in November may be a major holiday in the States, but in Canada, it’s just another working day. Rowan and myself spent that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday working with HP staff on merchandising install, display unit setup, and final tuning on the HP Store in Vancouver—what we took to calling the first HP-branded retail store in English-speaking North America (the U.S. and Canada, at any rate).

It was a lot of work. But at some point early on day three, we looked up from what we were doing and realized that Adcetera not only conceived, designed and implemented a store, but also one that looked and felt great.

Of course, there were lessons learned.

• When it snows in Vancouver, everything slows down. Even when you really need everything to speed up.
• Don’t try to move Canada Post mailboxes, as they’re really heavy. It’s also a felony.
• Installing fixtures and merchandising while also receiving, unpacking and logging inventory makes for a very long day, and a crowded workspace.
• When you need to print last-minute merchandising elements, Staples Business Depot on West Georgia Street is fast and cheerful. And they open early.
• The A&W chain is alive and well in Canada, their Wi-Fi is a lifesaver, and if you’re going to take an 18-hour Thanksgiving culinary tour of the Burger Family, you should probably go straight to the Teen Burger. Because it has bacon (And as for the Spicy Mama Burger—well, it isn’t.)
• Hon’s Wun-Tun is better than A&W.
• If you don’t want to feel homesick missing a holiday, don’t look at your Facebook feed.

For more about the store, check it out in the Work section.