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A storefront or shopfront is the facade or entryway of a
Before the middle of the 19th century, shop fronts did not have large display windows, but often included features such as
A storefront or shopfront is the facade or entryway of a retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...
store located on the ground floor or street level of a commercial building, typically including one or more display windows. A storefront functions to attract visual attention to a business and its merchandise.
History
Before the middle of the 19th century, shop fronts did not have large display windows, but often included features such as awning
An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tightly over a lig ...
s and bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room.
Types
Bay window is a generic term for all protruding window constructions, regardless of whether they are curved or angular, or r ...
s to attract the attention of passersby. Modern storefronts with display windows developed at mid-century after architectural cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
became widely available and glass manufacturers began producing large panes of glass at relatively low cost.
In the United States, storefronts with large windows become available after 1883, when the Pittsburgh Plate Glass company started to produce plate glass. Also architects started to experiment with iron column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
s and lintel
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...
s at the ground floor level.The combination of these two achievements led to the storefront as we know it today. By the 1920s, storefront plans with deep display windows, known as the “arcaded” front, had become popular.
Storefront designs
The storefronts of commercial buildings are often substantially altered even when other architectural elements remain intact. Such alterations can adversely affect a historic building's architectural and historic character. Storefronts can also have an area in front of the unit called a "pop-out zone", which is about 500-1000 mm deep. Storefronts often usechannel letters
Channel letters are custom-made metal or plastic letters commonly used in exterior signage on public and commercial buildings, and often internally illuminated. Unlit three dimensional letters that are applied to sign panels or monuments are usua ...
.
Other uses
E-commerce
E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain manageme ...
websites are sometimes called "online storefronts" or "virtual storefronts".
See also
* Brick and mortar * Storefront church *Storefront school
A storefront school is a school that uses rented space, typically originally intended for retail, instead of a dedicated, purpose-built school building. They are often used for continuing education and upgrading by mature students or other stud ...
References
Retail buildings {{architecturalelement-stub