JCP gets classic with Linden Street
Home decor rounds out the new Linden Street line at JCPenney. While the home furnishing line is wide ranging and centers on bed and bath, JCPenney has taken pains to assemble a significant decor presence in the line at price points that can provide a significant boost to the shopping basket.
Announced in April and rolled out in July, Linden Street is evidence of the retailer’s commitment to deliver style and quality at a smart price “through brands that create an emotional connection across its customers’ lifestyles,” JCPenney stated. The brand wasn’t designed to be static, but rather developed around standard pieces that could be personalized and updated, JCPenney said.
JCPenney also intended to link the traditional with the modern with Linden Street and the wall art collection, which includes classic images of Hollywood stars in poses that link to present considerations, is one vehicle in home decor.
On a store endcap, for example, Frank Sinatra is pictured in 1950s style as a kind of proto-hipster, while Steve McQueen is part of a scene from his movie “Le Mans” in an image that could easily appeal to racing fans of today, the same folks who have made NASCAR the top spectator sport in the United States. In the aisle, Audrey Hepburn is offered as Holly Golightly and Marilyn Monroe is captured in a pensive mood.
The classic images aren’t limited to movie stars. On a second endcap, two pieces offer city views, one of Manhattan and the other of a San Francisco street scene framed around a cable car.
Price points in home dec begin at $19.99, but the oversized Steve McQueen portrait runs to top the price range at $300. Everything in the section was on clearance at 50% off in early September, suggesting that wall art is one of those areas JCPenney means to rework regularly to generate fresh interest in Linden Street.
JCPenney spokesman Quinton Crenshaw said that the retail indeed intends to freshen elements of home dec regularly to keep customers interested in Linden Street. “We’re preparing now for fall and holidays and you’re probably going to see a couple of more turns in the assortment to keep the excitement in the line and to keep merchandise fresh for the customer.”