At one time Goody's Family Clothing

operated close to 400 stores in the U.S

South and Midwest. In 1978, the name was

changed to "Goody's". "Goody" was the

college nickname of M.D. Goodfriend's son

Bob, who had joined the family business in

1972. In 1979, Bob Goodfriend became

president of the business and the company

changed its merchandise focus from the

outlet model to offering current, first-quality,

brand-name merchandise. With this new

strategic direction, the chain expanded

rapidly. A private-label clothing line was

launched in 1993.

By 1998, the chain recorded $1 billion in annual sales, and in 2000 it opened

its 300th store. By 2004, there were more than 350 stores recording annual

sales of $1.3 billion. In 2006 Goody's became a privately held company again

when it was acquired by GMM Capital and Prentice Capital Management in

January 2006. Sales in 2006 totaled $1.6 billion.[

Goody's Family Clothing has long been the small-town department store for budget-minded shoppers hungry for brand names. But for its newest store in its headquarters city of Knoxville, Tenn., the retailer wanted a sleeker, more upscale store appealing to a wider customer base without alienating its existing shoppers.

Fitzpatrick Design Group (New York) began by emphasizing the store entrance. "The play of curved and square geometric forms and patterns gives a strong contemporary impact to the entrance," says

FDG president Jay Fitzpatrick, "with the orange and blue logo colors used as bold accents." A simple oval floor plan features a main aisle directing the customer around the entire floor.

For the first encounter area on the aisle -- a new fashion-forward juniors department --

designers developed a flexible fixturing system. A strong backlit graphics wall was used to

draw attention. Other design

elements include bold, colorful

highway-styled signs, new-

merchandise presentations,

accented with contrasting

floor tiles, at key intersections;

and a mural of the Knoxville

skyline along the back wall.