Burlington sheds old coat, goes for brighter, homier look.(Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp.)(Brief Article)

BRANDON, FLA. -- Burlington Coat Factory's dowdy-sounding name has always belied its broad assortment of quality merchandise. And the enhanced appearance of its stores is giving customers another reason to wonder why they stick with such an institutional-sounding name. Perhaps it is because this 284-unit retailer still strives for a warehouse look--an effect achieved primarily through the use of exposed rafter ceilings--as a means of communicating value to customers even as it completes its newest prototype. However, when you look down from the exposed rafters, everything else about Burlington Coat Factory's newer stores suggests quality.

The newest 80,000-sq.-ft. …