Signature
Bookstore
An Interview with Jeanne Giordano,
RETAIL CONSULTANT FOR THE PERSHING SQUARE
SIGNATURE CENTER BOOKSTORE.
An integral part of The Pershing Square Signature Center’s public space, the Bookstore features numerous titles by and related
to our past and present Playwrights-in-Residence, as well as the works that inspired them, artist and staff favorites, and books
related to the larger themes of our shows. In addition, the Bookstore also offers Signature merchandise, spotlighting the words
of our playwrights, and other unique offerings. Retail Consultant Jeanne Giordano took time out of her busy schedule to talk to
Signature Stories Editor David Hatkoff about her involvement in the creation of the Bookstore, the everyday workings and
challenges of the operation, and its surprising success three years on.
Signature: Tell me how
you first came to work
with Signature.
Jeanne Giordano: Well,
I got a phone call in my
office from Signature
Theatre, which was the ID
on the phone, and I was
sure it was a call to ask
for money! So I didn’t
respond for a day or
so but decided to call
back, and it turns out it
was you, [David Hatkoff], who wanted me to come in and talk
about the idea of doing a retail presence for the new Center
which was being built on 42nd St.
S: What excited you about the idea of working on this project?
JG: The design of the building was really unique, with a terrific architect [Frank Gehry] and a terrific company. It was a whole new
outlook on how theatre could be brought to a variety of people.
S: What were some of the challenges about trying to imagine
what the store could be?
JG: I think the biggest challenge was that there was really not too
much to build on. There was no history of retail that I could either
say, “This is good, this is bad.” We really needed to come up with
a concept beyond books and plays. What did it mean to create a
store that was uniquely Signature? So I thought about that for a
while, and I think the idea that it’s a company that really highlights
the playwright really says it all.
S: Take me through the process of creating the store.
JG: The space dedicated to the Bookstore was kind of a blank
slate, and what I knew was that Signature wanted to be able to
utilize the public areas of the Center for special events. So that
meant that the fixtures for whatever we were going to sell had to
be on wheels, and they also needed to be flexible. So, the idea of
using cubes on wheels, because a cube can be amplified any way
we would like it, became the module that we worked with. Once
the design was finalized, Gehry’s team created them in the same
materials to match the rest of the interiors.
19
telling a story – creativity for children and adults. We also decided
to build a small section on architecture because we had such a
renowned architect in Frank Gehry. We wanted unique items,
and during the process we discovered a pencil that had been
used by many playwrights and many people in the film business,
which had gone out of production, and was just coming back
while we were putting the store together. We now carry them,
and it’s one of our biggest selling items!
S: Can you tell me about pricing, and the balance of keeping
things in line with the affordable ticket price?
JG: The affordable ticket price offered by Signature is a really
important concept that we wanted to carry over into the
Bookstore. This was a big challenge to source quality items that
can be sold at an affordable retail price. The purpose of the store
isn’t to make a lot of money, it’s really to have things that people
leave with, feeling good about the fact that they found something
unique, something about Signature and something that they’ll
remember. So, I think our prices are very fair, and I think it’s
important to the overall scheme of things here.
S: You’ve now spent a lot of time at the Center watching
people interact with the store. What’s been the biggest
surprise in the whole process?
I think the surprise, and it’s not a big surprise, is just how little
time it has taken for the Bookstore to become an integral part
of the culture of Signature, which has been around a whole
lot longer. I just love this place. I love the whole ambience.
I encourage more people to come up here and see how great
it is, because it’s a wonderful place to hang out. And I’m very
proud of my contribution, but also to be part of the whole
experience Signature provides. n
S: I remember the first time you suggested to us that we use
quotes from our plays on custom merchandise, like mugs,
hoodies, tote bags, keychains, and magnets. Can you tell me
what the thinking was behind making that recommendation?
JG: As I understood the depth of the playwrights who’ve worked
with Signature over the years, and the real high quality of their
statements and their words, I knew that would give us something
really special to work with. Most of the merchandise that’s sold
in theatres is t-shirts that just have the logo of the play that happens to be on at that moment. And while people really want that
to take with them when they leave, I felt that the quotes could
last even longer than the running dates of the play.
S: How would you characterize your role for the choosing of
non-custom merchandise for the store?
JG: I think of myself as a museum curator. Because I really feel
that this store needs to be special. I did not want to have
non-custom merchandise that you could buy anywhere, in any
stationery store, bookstore, or museum store, because then
it’s not special. So I spend a lot of time sourcing things, and
finding people who are maybe just putting a product on the
market. We’ve had a number of products in the store that
we’ve been the first people to carry. Everything is related to
We really
needed
to come
up with a )