design:retail - September 2017 - 45

045

ONE OF NINE KIDS, Paul Lechleiter learned at
a young age that it is important to find your voice
quickly if you want to be heard. Lechleiter and his
siblings were part of what he jokingly refers to as
a "merry band of neighborhood thugs" who were
always out and about in their Louisville, Ky., neighborhood playing, pretending, creating forts and
having fun.
"Every day, I got out of bed and thought about
what we would come up with today," Lechleiter reflects. "It was a 'seek, find and make it up as you go'
mentality. It was all about imagination and pretend.
In the retail world, that still happens now; we are
always thinking about how we can you use imagination to motivate people."
In addition to those childhood days spent exploring his imagination, Lechleiter's proficient
drawing skills were evident early on. This skill gave
him a level of confidence, just another way he was
finding his voice.
This passion for art led him to the University of
Cincinnati College of Design Architecture Art and
Planning. While he thought he was going to be an
amazing artist, the next Rembrandt perhaps, he
realized that path may not be the most profitable.
It was during a studio class taught by a team from
Macy's (then Federated Department Stores) that
he became enamored with retail design. "Retail
is about something new and different every day,"
Lechleiter says. "For my thesis, I did an urban
mall that was pretty badass. I still love that project today."
Upon graduation, Lechleiter moved to Los
Angeles and started at The May Company Department Stores. "We were working 18 hours a day, so I
learned 10 years of 'stuff' in three years," Lechleiter
says. "There was a boss and nobody between us, so
it was a learn-on-the-fly situation and I made so
many mistakes. It was a great self-taught retail experience that helped me get so far ahead, so fast. It
was rough, hard and infuriating, but I am so lucky

to have learned so much so quickly-and it was
crazy fun to be in Los Angeles in the '80s."
From there, Lechleiter went to Cole Martinez
Curtis and an office on the beach. He credits this
job experience for honing his creativity. While
there, he focused on department stores and used
his confidence and strong voice to get ahead.
"I have never been timid, some might say I am
slightly bullish," Lechleiter says. "I can be aggressive and have an opinion, so this helped me chart
my own path and gain leadership opportunities."

Driven.
Opinionated.
Determined.
So, at 26 years old, he was leading design projects. Once again, he was taking advantage of this
opportunity to learn, rolling up his sleeves and
digging in to gain more valuable hands-on experience. He was also taking advantage of networking
opportunities and meeting people, while gaining
inspiration from all that Los Angeles had to offer.
Lechleiter believes these first positions provided a
solid foundation for his career, important moments
that are key to his overall success.
The Midwest called him home to a position with
FITCH in Columbus, Ohio, immersing him in the
realm of specialty stores. This was a whole new
learning experience at a company that was strategic with a different thought process-a collaborative
environment with a varied group of people with a
real diversity of thinking. "That type of diversity is
what I thrive on now," Lechleiter says.
While he had a steady track record of working
with established companies, he also took the opportunity during his time at FITCH to freelance for a few
years when Japan was exploding with development.
"I spent several months in Tokyo. We really pushed
the boundaries of creativity. It was nuts. It was about
how extreme you could make something," he recalls.

As he looked to the future, an opportunity at
FRCH Design Worldwide had him thinking about
his long-term goals. In typical fashion, he was aggressive and made himself heard. "I went in and
said 'I want to be a partner. I want this to be my last
place of employment,'" he says. And he has been at
FRCH for the last 20 years.
As the chief creative officer of FRCH, he is the
creative leader of the company, championing strategic and creative excellence throughout FRCH as
well as advancing the creative culture, talent and
processes across the firm. Lechleiter is extremely
hands-on in his approach and pushes for inspired
cross-studio and cross-discipline collaboration in
order to provide clients with creative diversity and
business-savvy solutions.
For Lechleiter, retail is a place where people
can get lost, escape from their daily lives. "A store
is a store is a store unless we can create a really
different experience, something with an unexpected twist and 'wow' factor," he explains. He
references the impact of a great hotel experience
or the randomness of perusing an antique store
as sources of inspiration. "The core simplicity of
great design is not about big budgets, it's about
being innovative and creative," he adds. Creating
places that offer a sense of discovery and surprise,
an experience that energizes, grabs the customer's
heart and connects with people is what he wants
his team to deliver.
He is grateful for the opportunities that the retail world has afforded him. "I have been all over
the world, and as a global citizen, it has given me
the opportunity to see and understand what the
world is, to see its commonalities, differences and
embrace the humanity," Lechleiter says. "This leads
to more creativity and a better connection with
customers. It is so inspiring, and few industries can
give you these experiences and opportunities. This
career path provides variety and a frenzy that feeds
who I am."
With more than 30 years in the industry, his
voice is only getting louder as he talks about the
future of retail and the need to create places and
experiences that teach, connect and challenge
people. You can be sure he will be bullish in this
pursuit. As he says, "That's the cool part, going
where you've never been."

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