Empty Stores

Columbus isn’t the only place where retailers are trying out new concepts, of course. In New York, Saks Fifth Avenue is offering salt room therapies and workouts led by ex-cons. Climbing walls and trampoline parks are filling the spaces once occupied by department stores. And in Columbus, there are some unlikely new success stories.

Brian Kellett and Emily Brown, both recent graduates of the Columbus College of Art and Design, founded Stump, a chain of stores selling houseplants to a mostly millennial clientele. While name-brand clothing stores have a hard time moving merchandise, Stump has no such problems. On a recent Thursday morning, dozens of new plants wrapped in brown butcher paper were being delivered to one of the stores, which was restocking after most of the week’s inventory had sold out.

Older brands can only hope for such happy problems, and instead are left trying to innovate their way back to relevance.

Near Ohio State University, Wendy’s has unveiled a revamped restaurant that features a raft of changes. Designed by Chute Gerdeman, the location features paper menus instead of the traditional menu board. There are digital ordering kiosks, in place of cashiers. Once customers have placed their order, they wait at a table for a server to deliver their meal.

Smaller details are being tinkered with, too. The trays have higher edges to reduce spills. Fries are served in cups instead of sleeves. Through a partnership with the digital music service Pandora, Wendy’s curates the restaurant’s playlist based on what people in a five-mile radius are listening to. There is even counter seating that looks into the Wendy’s kitchen, where line cooks are preparing salads made to order — a first for the chain.

“Customers have a certain idea about what they think fast-food restaurants are,” said Abigail Pringle, chief development officer at Wendy’s, which is based in the Columbus region. “We’re trying to shake that up.”