Once Upon a Time, the kingdom of windows :

French Bakeries

By Lucas Gruez, october 2012

Crash course on creativity,

Venture Lab, Stanford University

Where treasure are protected by invisible wall

Lot of castles contain this hidden treasure but we can recognize them

with their blazons

This castles have traditionalcolours code

● Warm colors : ocher, brown, golden. To remember the warmth of the bread on his setting of wood...

● Except one who breaks the rules. Black, pink. Fashionable pastries on his setting of marble...

Maybe an old tradition too ?● Women in

front, behind displays, with apron (often brown).

● Men in back, in the laboratory, in white.

● Here any rule break down. In 6 bakeries all salespeople were women !

● Wife of baker, or young employees.

In bakery we are on a mission,

Do you have seen someone strolled, dawdled, in a bakery ?

If yes, it was probably me for the Observation Lab !

● Buy bread ! And often baguette.

● Bakery is very close by. The mission finished we go back by foot or bicycle.

Wait a minute !!

● Look carefully the left hand !!

● You can see the baguette and...

● … a little bag.

● What is it ?

Answers next page...

 

Some treasure from castles of kingdom of windows

In France we have our daily mission

● Buy the baguette

● But in the bakery we find others beautiful breads

● And differents marvellous little things

And very often, our daily mission finished like that :

Let's summarize● It's impossible to be in

contact with the product.● The relationship with

salespeople is blocked by displays

● Often we must stand in line several minutes to wait than sales person initiates contact.

● It's more a routine than a shopping party

● BUT...

Very often we leave the bakeryWith more than our daily baguette.

That wasn't meant to happen !!WHY ?

A short history from 30 years

● At the beginning, there was

And years after years bakers widened the range of their products an services...

… to become the lords of Weakness for

Sweet things andGood food.

We, sensitive animal, we are consenting victim of our senses

to buy more● Sense of smell :

inside the shops, there are some ovens for croissants to have an irresistible nice smell around customers

● Eyesight :each detail (colours, lights, accessories, lines) take part in a subtle special display behind a window.

Now bakery is not just a bread shop, it's the heart of the local life

● For lunch● Caterer

● Gastronomy and little pleasures

● To know the news of the neighborhood

To build the kingdom of windows in new waysObservation lab conclusions

● Very important works did about sense of smell and eyesight, but not about hearing. Owens, fridges make noise, sounds inside bakerys could be worked to add a new dimension at the shop

● From 30 years bakers widened the range of their products an services and the process could be continued to develop more the « little gastronomic things » like chocolat, tea, coffee, foie gras... Different kinds of food with high quality.

● Bakeries are completely offline. In the same time it is an important place for the social life, to share news about the neighborhood. Smartphones could be good tools to improve this social life:to share news, services, offers with a network from bakery, with wifi for exemple.

● Bakeries are very busy and important places for lunch. But lot of them close around 7pm. They are very important for lunch as much as they are nonexistent for the diner. Diner is not yet a time who interest bakeries.

The observation of bakeries shows innovation inside traditions. This kingdom of windows are

traditional shops, but bakers knew change efficiently with subtle but efficient innovations,

more in services and in intemization of products.

Lucas Gruez, October 2012

Crash course on creativity, Venture Lab, Stanford University

Photo credits : Lucas Gruez