Bergen County, New Jersey did not have a dedicated wine shop until the Englewood Wine Merchants store opened in May 2005. Before that, locals seeking specialty wine selection and information usually had to travel all the way into Manhattan. Co-owners David Gettenberg and Andrew Wellisch saw an opportunity and seized it, purchasing a retail space on East Palisade Avenue in Englewood and planning the design and store layout of what they hope will become the premier wine store in Bergen County. Rather than stocking thousands of different wines, Gettenberg and Wellisch intend to help customers select the best choices from different regions. In addition to the retail displays, they created eight tasting stations featuring wines from different countries every week.



The main room in the new store is about 15 feet wide and just under 60 feet long, with ten-foot dark ceilings and natural Travertine stone on the floor, and all-walnut cabinetry. Sunlight doesn't penetrate deeply into the room even in broad daylight, and since much of the room - including the product - is darkly colored, he knew lighting the space adequately and attractively would be a challenge. "Light is absorbed very easily in this space," Gettenberg said.

He sought to find lighting that would suit the room, directly highlighting the labels on the wine bottles while fitting with the design and not distracting customers. He decided early on in favor of track lighting, which had already been installed in the space by a previous tenant. However, he found the existing fixtures to be large, cumbersome, and ill suited to his design ideals. “We've created a wine cellar look in the store, and we wanted to go with fixtures that were sleek, contemporary, and not ‘in your face,'” he said.

Gettenberg was already familiar with the Lightolier name and reputation for providing high-quality track lighting fixtures and accessories, but didn't know a great deal about lighting and design options available. He contacted Ken Mackenzie , Vice President and General Manager of Lightolier's Track Lighting Business Unit. "He acted as our lighting consultant," said Gettenberg of Mackenzie.

Mackenzie studied photographs of the space in order to make suitable product recommendations. “It's a high-end wine dealership, and they wanted to achieve a very professional and ‘open' look,” he said. He knew that, because of the depth of the retail space and dark color of the ceiling and cabinetry, the space would require high-intensity white light that could be focused accurately on the wine displays and tasting stations. “I recommended low-voltage MR16 lamps, which are perfect for this application because they are very bright, very white and intense, and they fit in small track fixtures that won't detract from the overall design.”

Mackenzie showed Gettenberg a variety of Lightolier track products and Gettenberg decided that Alcyon was the best fit. “Among other things, we really liked how Alcyon looked,” said Gettenberg. He was particularly impressed with the small, unobtrusive transformer case, which rides low along the track, and the slim wireless stem that provides the illusion of a floating head of light. “Alcyon is very much in line with the design themes in our store,” he said. “I didn't want anything that would detract from the design and product displays. Good light fixtures are something you should never notice unless you're looking at them specifically.” Alcyon fixtures are also highly adjustable, a factor which Gettenberg knew to be important in a dynamic and evolving retail space. Additionally, it is easy to change burned-out lamps because of Alcyon's lamp-forward design, which places the front of the lamp ahead of the fixture case.

Gettenberg selected matte black low voltage Cylinder fixtures to blend with the dark ceiling and provide non-obtrusive but focused light to illuminate the wine displays.

He also opted for the Advent™ two-circuit track, which offers separate controls for each track head so that different fixtures may be turned on or off at a given time. He is very pleased with the feedback he has received thus far. “I love that wewereable to keep the wine cellar aesthetic without sacrificing visibility,” he said.

About Englewood Wine Merchants Englewood Wine Merchants is an upscale wine store featuring wines from all over the world, with designated tasting stations and opportunities for patrons to learn more about wine selection and enjoyment. Englewood Wine Merchants is located at 3 East Palisade Avenue in Englewood, New Jersey, and can be reached at 201-568-8820, or visit www.englewoodwinemerchants.com.
About Lightolier
Headquartered in Fall River, Massachusetts, Lightolier, for over 100 years, has provided creative lighting solutions for commercial, institutional, and residential lighting needs. Lightolier is on the World Wide Web at www.lightolier.com. Lightolier is a Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHI) Company. Philips is a global leader in healthcare, lighting and consumer lifestyle, delivering products, services and solutions through the brand promise of "sense and simplicity." Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 128,100 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. Philips is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home appliances, as well as consumer electronics.