This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Clara was being good.
The 3-year-old had just left a mall photo studio with her dad, Craig Orr. He told his daughter she had earned a treat, and just then she spotted a sweets shop that glowed red. She pointed. Dad willingly complied, and a Mrs. Fields cookie was soon in Clara's tiny hand.
That's just the way Mrs. Fields likes it to happen.
About to turn 30 next year and its Salt Lake-based parent company coming off a year of profit losses, the business known internationally for its chocolate chip cookies and other treats is being made over. It's starting at this suburban Cleveland store inside the Westfield Great Northern shopping mall, where walls have been painted red, lighting softened and the menu revamped to include gourmet coffees.
''Obviously the color red is very appealing. The lighting is nice. It's a very modern look,'' said Orr, glancing at the freshly remodeled store with a name in big white letters out front that Clara is too young to read but are familiar to older generations.
The store was chosen as the model for the chain's redesign because it was planning to move to another location in the mall anyway. Mrs. Fields officials say how many of its 503 stores (including several in the Salt Lake Valley) will be redesigned, and when, depends on the response to this one in Ohio.
The change already appears to be paying off. Since Sept. 7, the remade Ohio location has seen about 60 percent better sales than in early September period a year ago, said Jim Bird, franchise operations director for Pacific Hospitality, based in Santa Anna, Calif., the franchisee that oversees the North Olmsted store and 26 others Mrs. Fields shops mostly on the West Coast.
Although there have been changes, much has stayed the same: Mrs. Fields is still stuck on decadent cookies and brownies and the business remains walk-up, with treats displayed in glass cases.
The store used to have more white mixed with red accents, and the redesign came with a wider display case to fit more products and lighted signs to better display options for snacks, drinks or gift packages.
Mrs. Fields is also expanding its drinks menu, with smoothies and specialty coffees. Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's and Burger King have similarly introduced high-end coffees.
The store also has some new sweets to go with its new look, including new brownie flavors that are planned for shops nationwide.
Mrs. Fields started when 20-year-old Debra J. ''Debbi'' Fields opened Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery in Palo Alto, Calif., in 1977. She is no longer part of Mrs. Fields, which was acquired in 1996 by Capricorn Holdings, a Greenwich, Conn., investment firm.
The company is part of the privately held Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, which posted a $37.9 million loss in 2005 after a $2.7 million profit the year before. The loss was tied to write-offs for its TCBY frozen yogurt brand, which the company is trying to revitalize, spokesman Michael Frandsen said.
The company also operates Great American Original Cookie, Pretzel Time and Pretzel Maker stores. During the first half of 2006, the number of stores declined from 2,479 to 2,384, as company shops were sold or franchised stores closed.
Mrs. Fields identifies mall regulars Auntie Anne's Soft Pretzels and Cinnabon cinnamon rolls among its competitors.