Retail store owners certainly understand the importance of dependable store fixtures. Durability is critical, but so is style, as you’re looking for the optimum way of displaying your goods. Chances are you also want something that requires minimal maintenance. For all these qualities, many retailers are turning to acrylic when redesigning their store’s interior. Acrylic is a specific type of plastic used in cases, when glass is not practical. Beyond its benefits as display material, it is commonly used in the manufacture of things like motorcycle visor helmets and the protective barriers surrounding hockey rinks. Versatile and inexpensive, acrylic has many of the benefits of glass, at a lower cost, and without the breakability factor.
There are a number of key advantages in using acrylic for your store fixtures. Strength may be the most important one. Although it doesn’t always look it, acrylic can actually support quite a bit of weight, which means the same stand could potentially be used to hold something big and heavy, or light and small. Along with strength comes durability, one of the main advantages. In terms of longevity, as well as standing up to physical impact, acrylic wins out over varnished or lacquered hardwood, for example.
The transparency of acrylic also allows items to be viewed more easily, and detracts less from them. Even plate glass, another clear material, has a dark green tint at the edges, whereas acrylic is clear all over. In addition to being transparent, acrylic is also much lighter than glass, meaning displays can be moved around easier. Acrylic is flexible, making it useful for a variety of different display stands. It can take different shapes, and can have either rounded or square corners, depending on your needs. The flexibility also makes it easier to duplicate pieces, which comes in especially handy if you have more than one store and require standardized displays.
But even acrylic is not perfect. Before making your choice, it’s important to consider one unavoidable downside: Acrylic is not scratch resistant, and actually scratches easier than glass. A common solution is the application of paste wax, which will minimize the appearance of scratches. There are several different prominent brands of commercial acrylic out there, including PolyCast, Lucite and Plexiglass. The most widely available is Plexiglass, which is why the name has come to be almost interchangeable with the word “acrylic.” You may often hear an acrylic display case referred to as a, “plexiglass display case,” even if Plexiglass is not actually the brand being used.
Showing off your products in the best way possible is obviously very important. This is why choosing store fixtures and display cases are vital decisions, but with so many advantages and only one real disadvantage, you might say the choice is, “clear.”