A new exhibit at the Branch Museum of Design pays tribute to Frances and Sydney Lewis, whose Richmond-based company, Best Products, was one of the nation’s largest retailers.

The exhibition feels particularly poignant at the moment, serving as a fitting tribute to Frances Lewis and Eddie Slipek, who each died while it was being planned.

These 11 store designs shook up the world of retail – and started in Richmond

“The whole concept behind it was to take something that no one even considered architecture ... and then transforming it.”

The RichmonderRich Griset

Lewis lived just one block away on Monument Avenue, while Slipek, an architecture critic, was as an assistant vice president at Best Products.

In addition, the company’s longtime Henrico headquarters is currently in the process of being redeveloped by the county into a mixed-use neighborhood potentially anchored by a large arena.

The Lewises were avid supporters of the arts, and pushed the envelope in their store design, working with architect James Wines to create innovative concepts for their showrooms.

The exhibit, which will be on display through June 21, collects drawings, models, photographs, sketches and printed materials. The research for the exhibit was supported by students at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

General admission tickets are $10, and members can see the exhibition for free.

At an opening event on Thursday night, the museum also unveiled a line of “Best”-themed merchandise in conjunction with the local shop Odd Bird.

Best Products was famous in its day too, including a 1979 exhibition of architectural drawings at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and a documentary exploring the designs.

Contact Michael Phillips at mphillips@richmonder.org.