The Fast & Furious "101 Exchange" gift shop may be a work in progress, especially since the ride isn't open yet. But if not, it seems underbaked to me. As it is, it looks like it could be a skateboard lifestyle/clothing store in any Southern California mall (think Vans, Zumiez, Hollister...). Arguably it's less flavorful than these retail stores can be.
It could be enhanced as an
IP-driven thematic environment with several things:
Diegetic Lighting
It's a retail store and it has the functional track spot lighting necessary to highlight the merchandise. Great. But what it's missing is the diegetic lighting -- the lighting fixtures that would be in the auto shop that we are
pretending where the lighting is coming from. The diegetic lighting (fluorescent tubes, or warehouse pendants) would of course be illuminated, but just enough to be believable. Some neon, which would have come from a beer sign in a real garage, would add some spice and sexiness, and look enticing through the windows. Without diegetic lighting, it's not a believable thematic space.
Thematic History
The space doesn't look like it has any real history of usage. Some evidence of it having been a working garage would help bring us into the world, for example residual painted signs on what is now very unembellished brick. Or stains on the flor of oil and grease (doesn't have to be gross, it can be subtle).
Disruption & Subversion
The IP's psychographic is about individuality, not following all of society's norms and decorum, being a "bad boy" and rule-breaker. But there is nothing about the shop that conveys any of this. It's all very nice and tidy and even the display of props up high is kind of "cute" in its jaunty array of "car things". Even in a typical auto shop -- where they aren't firing machine guns and blowing things up -- there can be elements of disruption, individuality, and subversion. For example, the stickers plastered on this column.
Realistic Props
Finally, more about that shelf of props: I'm seeing this in the Disney Parks too, lately. There is this visual merchandising approach which feels shallow and divorced from immersive themed entertainment, where some team is brought in to "decorate" spaces. So they collect and display a bunch of on-theme stuff in a Red Robin / TGI Friday's / '80s "fern bar" way, sprinkling it around on walls or up-high shelves...and it's clear the people doing the visual merchandising don't actually know what the things are and whether they make sense or have thematic legitimacy. A more knowing approach to set dressing is necessary, and it's not quantity but quality that delivers the story-telling.
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