by Sabine Zetteler Five years ago, East London was blessed with Jo Sindle and Kyle Stewart’s hybrid clothing store and creative space, in Hoxton’s quiet little Coronet Street. Today, their Goodhood Store provides the primary reason to walk down that way, and the tiny shop has nurtured quite a following,…
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NYC makers asked to submit product for next year’s collection
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MoMA consistently aspires to connect the art and design within its walls to the greater community that supports it. Both the Young Architects Program held at MoMA PS1 and the recent introduction of the Art Lab iPad app aim to showcase the burgeoning talent of some under-the-radar individuals from across the nation. An artist or designer featured in the museum, or through any number of its affiliate organizations, automatically wins an unparalleled opportunity to reach perhaps the most diverse audience in the modern art world. With the equally beloved MoMA Design Store, MoMA translates the work it curates to accessible products, bringing the experience well beyond the organization’s reach and into the home.
Now the MoMA Design Store brings the spirit of their community initiative home to NYC with an open call to designers hailing from the five boroughs to submit work for a 2013 product collection. Anything from household items to kids’ toys to the freshest in accessory and furniture design is welcome for submission, so long as items are near or close to the production stage, manufactured within the continental US and can be shipped to MoMA in salable condition.
If you’re an NYC-based designer, or have friends who are, visit the store’s Facebook Page for more information.
Rachel Shechtman’s latest retail narrative edited by Cool Hunting
For her third “issue”,
Rachel Shechtman has turned her magazine-style boutique—aptly called Story—into an homage to New York. The shop changes concept every four to eight weeks, and the latest inventory is a selection of Big Apple goods co-edited by Cool Hunting. The finely selected stock is set to the backdrop of Jill Malek custom “coffee stain” wallpaper, cityscape murals by Chris Dent, presented by the AOL Artists initiative, and student-shot photos from the NYC non-profit Salt.
With “Love” and “Color” as the first two issues, Shechtman continues to explore themes that are universal in concept but niche in execution. With each issue the Chelsea space becomes a new place of wonder, and each table or shelf serves as a narrative that unfolds before your eyes. Story “New York” is packed with goods by some of our favorite makers, such as Jill Platner jewelry, food selections from New York Mouth, a rotating assortment of custom Milk Made ice cream flavors sold by the pint or cup for the first time and exclusively at Story (since until now it has been an online subscription-only offer), crates from Quirky making their debut, 3×1 jeans and denim solution, an assortment of Baggu sacks, Scott Thrift’s annual clock The Present (available for pre-order at Story), Julie Rofman bracelets and more.
We recently caught up with Shechtman at Story to learn more about her endeavor. Read more about our collaboration and her unique take on retail as well as more images in the slideshow below.
Through mutual friends. We heard about each other for a while and I think we tend to like similar things. We live a block away from each other in Chelsea, and we have complementary sensibilities—and I think different skill sets that also complement each other. So, as I was launching this new concept of retail as media and Cool Hunting is kind of the guru of all things culturally inspiring online, it seemed like the perfect partner for our first-ever co-curated edition.
It’s a combination of factors. First and foremost I ask, “is the product relevant to the story?” And then after the answer is “yes”, I think, “what are interesting brands and products that work?” One of the most important things that’s important to me for our experience as a brand is that whether you’re nine years old or you’re 70 years old, or whether you want to spend $5 or $500, there’s something that appeals to all of those people and their sensibilities, but within the context of one story, and that it makes sense so that it’s not just about one demographic or one audience. Of course some people like “Love” better than “Color” and some people like “New York” story better than “Love”, but you know, as long as they are able to relate to each experience, that’s the most important thing to me.
Four to eight weeks—it depends on the issue. The September issue will be four weeks. It also depends on theme. We’re also doing a lot of different events for the “New York” story. We’re going to do skill-share classes with New York Mouth, which includes a pickling class and how to make hard candy. We’re doing other interesting events, like a dinner party hosted by Malin +Goetz here. And then we’re going to hopefully have some musical performances.
I also want it to be interactive and have community, not just be about people who necessarily buy. For example, we have this amazing kid’s brand, Ode, and she just emailed us, and she liked our idea and said she wants to sell in our store. If a magazine has editors and then contributing editors, our contributing editors are either our fans that make things and want to sell them in the store, or customers who come in and want to have events here. We’re trying to make it as interactive as possible. The other special thing we’re going to do is a lemonade and tattoo stand on the weekend, and for the first time ever we’re selling pints of ice cream from a company that is otherwise a subscription only service.
Sometimes we re-order it and sometimes we let it sell out. One thing that’s important to me is adjacencies. It’s no different than when you’re shooting a picture in a magazine spread, if you take an item out of its context in real life and in a physical space, how can you tell its story? By putting old brands next to new brands, and sexy brands next to classics, and just kind of mix it up.
Art, antiques, books and more come together in Portland
Even on a street bustling with galleries and boutiques, Ampersand Gallery stands out. Owner Myles Haselhorst opened the intimate space in Portland, OR in 2008 to create, he says, something that “feels less like a retail store and more like the interior of someone’s home, someone who is a collector of art, books and found artifacts.”
Having collected vintage photography for about a decade, Haselhorst presents shows at Ampersand that range from the serenely beautiful, like a series of 19th-century hand-colored Japanese photographs, to the downright macabre. “There are billions of snapshots of cute babies, but it’s less often that you find a whole series of morgue photos that were shot in Hoboken, New Jersey, back in the 1930s,” Haselhorst said, referring to a show that he curated, framed and presented in 2010.
Ampersand also serves as a vintage bookshop and publishing house, whose works focus on photography and design and are arranged in between antique cases, custom-made furniture by Kerf Design in Seattle and rolling carts that were designed and built by Haselhorst and his father. The furniture serves as the perfect foundation for Haselhorst’s extensive collection, from a set of typeface archives to camping brochures from the 1960s.
At a time when most publishers are scrambling to reinvent their materials in all-electronic formats, Ampersand’s treasures offer a reminder that a beautifully printed and published book is an art object that you can hold in your hands. “In today’s economy, you have to stay on your toes,” Haselhorst said, “especially if you are selling books and art, which more and more are getting absorbed into the endless offerings on the Internet.”
Ampersand’s next exhibition, “Gazed Upon”, will open on 29 March 2012. Guest curated by photographer Amy Elkins, the show examines the questions of female beauty and self-identity and will feature work by Cara Phillips, Stacey Tyrell and Jen Davis. Head to the Ampersand online shop to see more of what’s in stock.
Ampersand Gallery
2916 Alberta Street
Portland, Oregon 97211
We took a drive with the founder of a new retail concept store based in NYC
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In this video we meet Rachel Shechtman, founder of the new retail concept shop, Story. Sponsored by the Range Rover Evoque, we take a ride with Rachel around Manhattan and hear about how she turned her passion for shopping in to a new venture.
Aspiring collectors find emerging artists in a new gallery storefront
Sensitive to the cash-strapped culture lovers of the world, Recession Art began with the simple premise of uniting aspiring collectors with emerging artists. After three years of shows at Brooklyn’s Invisible Dog, they have now opened RAC on New York’s Lower East Side. Seated atop Culturefix, an artsy watering hole with adjoining event space, RAC combines a storefront shop with a permanent gallery.
“We wanted to bring together two groups of people we knew personally,” says founder Emma Katz. “Artists who were making work but had no way to get it out into the world, and young art lovers who were maybe furnishing their first apartment and wanted access to original artwork.” True to their mission, Katz and curator Melanie Kress stocked the storefront with prints and books by emerging artists, along with affordable original works.
The space has played home to a number of pop-ups over the years, but both Culturefix and Recession Art saw the benefit of a shared venue. “We get people to come into the gallery that might not usually visit an art gallery. Our goal is for anyone to feel welcome here—if you come for a beer or a concert you might end up buying a handmade pop-up book or a photograph. It allows us to work with many kinds of artists including musicians, performers and poets.”
Kicking off things at RAC is an exhibition by veteran Recession Art artist Megan Berk. “Weird Party on the Other Side of the Hedge” shows scenes of Berk’s native Los Angeles, the nostalgic dreamscapes tinged with an air of outsider skepticism. A friend of Recession Art, Berk also designed a totebag and limited edition print for the store.
Recession Art plans to continue shows at the Invisible Dog, and are currently taking submissions online for “Everything is Index, Nothing is History,” curated by Melanie Kress. In an effort to build relationships with collectors, Recession Art also runs a Collector Club to keep the community abreast of artist activities, studio visits and private previews.
RAC
9 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
Our interview with Garrett Colton on the new Guest Buyer Series
Nestled among the nail salons, kosher bakeries and breakfast joints on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, Garrett Colton has set up St&ndard Goods, a general store for shoppers who love high-quality goods with clean design. Step inside the small shop and the eye is immediately drawn to Colton’s favorite paintings of two brothers clad in suit and tie. Colton found these paintings, dated 1960, at an Oklahoma City garage sale. Though he has had many offers, these dapper and slightly creepy gents set the tone for the shop and are not for sale.
Offerings include Sierra Designs parkas, vintage belts, MAKR wallets and iPad cases, West Sweet Preserves, Tourne ceramic vessels, skateboard decks and much more. A shelf of items features picks from the St&ndard Goods’ inaugural Guest Buyer Series, which kicks off with pieces picked by photographer Brian Ferry, from a vintage L.L. Bean shirt to a Minot 35 GT Analog Camera. We asked Colton to tell us about his new store, the St&ndard Goods Guest Buyer Series and upcoming collaborations.
Timeless, basic, clean.
My friend Carlos Morera works at Commune Design here in LA and is one of the most creative people I have ever met. I asked him to come up with some logos and what not for the store. When he added the “&” I knew it was right.
This idea is somewhat of a hybrid of a couple things. I really loved the idea of the Selby and going into various creative people’s homes, but I also liked the idea of GQ’s 10 Essentials with designers. The Guest Buyer Series is something kind of in the middle. When I worked at Band of Outsiders, I would sometimes go the flea market with my boss to pick out stuff for his home. The consumer in me would think, what if ______ was here shopping. What would he/she buy?
I first met Brian in late December in New York. He found some things during his time in London and he also found some things in New York. I wanted him to pick out things that he gravitated to and I think Brian has great style and taste and didn’t need to guide him on what to buy. It’s really about letting the guest buyer pick out what they want. It’s not me pointing, “Hey, buy this.” Brian picked out things that he would really buy. He sent me an email hesitating on sending me this stuff because he wanted to keep it. That’s when I knew that he picked out great stuff.
Brian came up with this idea so I can’t take full credit, but I loved it and knew it was a brilliant idea. Brian has a loyal following and we wanted to give those who buy one of his pick’s a special something. The fun thing about the Guest Buyer Series is really making each one unique. With Brian’s photography, we wanted to do something extra. The one thing I have really enjoyed the most about the GBS is that we are really telling a story. Christine Brown directs, edits, and produces the video, which interviews the guest buyer. We show pictures and footage of the buyer, the products, why they bought each item. Whenever I buy something, I always like to hear a good story behind an item, if there is one.
We’ve got some great things in the works. I’m currently making some more things with some really talented people. We are doing a collaboration with RTH that I am really excited about. That will hit both of our shops in mid February. We have some more great people lined up for the guest buyer series. Lastly, a show with Brian Ferry at our shop that will happen in late spring.
Standard Goods
7151 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Styled iPhone shoots from a leading Brazilian vintage supplier
Here’s one of the more ingenious ways we’ve seen people use Instagram: instant fashion editorial. Paula Reboredo and Gil França, the couple behind Sao Paulo vintage store B. Luxo, have come up with a way to market their goods and get a response immediately, by doing fully styled mini editorial shoots for Instagram.
The couple began by posting images of selected clothing and accessories to their b_luxo account, and the response was so overwhelmingly positive—their current follower count stands at 1,523—that they’ve segued into full-on fashion shoots, all photographed in the shop.
Reboredo and França first style the models (who happen to also be clients), and then França (also a photographer) shoots the images on an iPhone 4. Despite the variety of photo retouching apps in existence, França’s approach is refreshingly simple: he only treats the image on Instagram, using the tilt-shift blur effect and applying a preset filter before uploading. The results give the images a retro sheen that are a natural fit to the clothing and accessories they show off.
B. Luxo’s current editorial consists of 16 looks, and a previous shoot focused on a Halloween theme. The photos are posted with the name of the item and sizes. Comments from followers have reached frenzied heights, with users calling and reserving the pieces as soon as they appear in the feed. Reboredo and França plan to continue doing these fashion shoots into the near future. “It’s quick and efficient,” Reboredo said.
Larger brands are increasingly tuned in to the pictorial social media venue. Topshop hosted in-store, fully-styled Instagram shoots on iPads (the complete gallery lives on their Facebook page). Bergdorf Goodman launched an interactive Instagram shoe map with editorial-inspired shoe pics. B. Luxo, however, is the first we know of dedicating their account exclusively to editorial spreads.
Follow the boutique by their username b_luxo on Instagram to keep up with their latest features.
A story-centered approach to collaborative retail
Taking the principles learned from NYC-based start-ups, retail consultant Rachel Shechtman quietly unrolled A Startup Store last night in the shadow of the High Line. “A Startup Store has the point of view of a magazine, but it changes like a gallery and it sells things like a store,” she says. Shechtman calls the concept “transactional storytelling,” placing a narrative at the center of a retail venture. The store will be completely reinvented every four to six weeks, with a different theme guiding every detail.
The first story is “Beta.” Shechtman asks, “If a website can be in beta, then why can’t a store be in beta to work out its kinks?” As workers walked around setting up displays and adjusting light fixtures, the first few customers browsed the selection of goods from five NYC startups. Birchbox, a subscription retailer of beauty products, is displaying their monthly collection with a range of items from both couture and grass-roots brands. Also featured is Quirky, an online community that selects products to invent based on user votes.
Shechtman grew up around trade shows and as a girl wanted to shop for a living like the buyers she met. Six years ago, the idea for this new retail concept was born. A simple conversation with Shechtman essentially offers an education in retail, and she sees a clear path for the future of story-driven consumption. “As people have less time, they want more from their experiences,” she says. Dedicated to crafting new business models and forecasting trends, Shechtman wants to create an experience that is as much about the process as the final product.
In a display case near the back of the store is BaubleBar jewelry’s range of original neckwear. Nearby you can check out the goods from Joor, an online professional matchmaker for designers and retailers. The site is a valuable resource for up-and-coming brands as well as bigger businesses looking to reach boutique audiences.
Shechtman plans to launch a complimentary online shop that, with a fixed name and web address, will ironically have a more permanent feel than the polymorphous brick-and-mortar location.
Until recently, the interior was masked by massive eyes plastered by anonymous artist and TED prize-winner JR. Now, the current exhibition is displayed on modular furniture made from 90% recycled paper by Way Basics, and Mark Kusher of Architizer will curate the furniture of each new installation by matching architects to the theme. The back wall of the space holds artwork from Artspace, an online marketplace for affordable pieces from top contemporary artists.
As the store evolves, a permanent name will be attached and graphic designer and typographer Stefan Sagmeister will provide the logo and branding—a rare treat from an artist who rarely does this kind of commercial work. Each upcoming installation will be underwritten by a brand that fits with the overarching theme. The store launches officially in February as a “Love” story.
A new catalog spotlights Portland artisans in their natural habitats
In an effort to become more than just a shopping destination, Core’s flagship store, Hand-Eye Supply in downtown Portland, Oregon has taken the standard catalog to an artful new level.
Photographer Christine Taylor is a long-time friend of Hand-Eye Supply manager Tobias Berblinger, and when she learned he was making a new catalog for the store—a project that would likely result in the requisite bland product displays and posed models—she proposed an alternative. Taylor enlisted Berblinger to instead round up local artisans, cooks and craftspeople, and she took portraits of them in their work environments, holding and wearing gear that they use themselves.
The upshot, a catalog and lookbook called “Makers in the Modern Era,” creates an instant survey of Portland’s creative community as it looks every day. Taylor included traditional and non-traditional occupations, men and women, young people and old. The only thing they all have in common is that they all work with their hands. The commercial portraits have an arresting vintage feel to them, which Taylor pointed out are based on photographs from the ’30s and ’40s. “I used a hot flash, and the subject is just glancing up, as if you’ve just walked in on them,” she explains.
The portraits are not purely documentary photographs, as the subjects are styled and posed, but the people, workshops and talent are real and so is the gear. Glass artist Andi Kovel of Esque Studio wears a pair of Ben Davis shorts, while Ping line cook Scott Whitus and kitchen manager Brandon LaRobadiere pose in the restaurant in a pair of Pointer Brand Denim aprons.
The catalog will be released 18 November 2011 at Hand-Eye Supply. To sign up for the newsletter and catalog, visit the store website.
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