It's in the Stars

I have been going through saved design sites and came across John Kostick's site today.  His famous stars will definitely bring a beautiful and design focused element for the holiday season and every day afterward.

" John’s explorations of geometric and synergetic structures led to numerous original designs that he handcrafted and marketed in the mid 1960s and early 70s."

Please see more of John's creations including toys for kids on his website

http://www.jjkostick.com/jjkostick/Welcome.html

Christmas Markets

I know it has been a while since I have posted but I'm back after a making my rounds to a few of Berlin's Christmas markets.  These markets are set up in each neighborhood and show off the talents of local artists while also providing holiday food and drink.  I found some great artists and will be sharing them here on my blog.

The first artist is Karin Scholz who specializes in handmade leather bags.  Karin is amazing.  She makes every bag by hand without the use of machines in any part of her process.

Her bags are a very sturdy but amazing combination of shapes and hand tooled Kobe cowhide leather. She even offers a lifetime guarantee on her products.  Many of her bags have an Art Nouveau design inspiration that I picked up immediately.  They would be an ideal addition to a museum with a strong Art Nouveau collection and would stand out as a unique selection among the standard merchandise available.

She also specializes in handmade jewelry that has a Victorian era feel to it.  It is made for jet, onyx, and leather, again all made by Karin without the use of machines. 

Check back for more artists to love during the Christmas season!

Etsy

I think Etsy is one of the most important sites for bringing buyers of artist driven and handmade craft together.  I routinely filtered through hundreds of artists on a weekly basis looking for someone with unique product.  It is true that you have to look through a lot of craft that does not fit your store, but at the end of the day it is worth all the trouble if you can find an artist who brings something unique to your store that no other shop in your area has. 

http://www.pbs.org/arts/gallery/off-book-episode-7-etsy/off-book-episode-7-etsy/

Now there are a few things you must keep in mind

1. Make sure the artist can meet your deadlines especially if it is a seasonally specific item such as scarves, Christmas ornaments etc...  There is nothing worse than getting in holiday merchandise on December 26th

2.  Make sure to get a sample.  As in dealing with anything on the internet, what you see is not always what you get. 

3. Make sure the product can sustain your mark-up.  Many of these artists do craft shows and web orders   and don't have a wholesale price.  You may need to double their asking price and the product may not be able to fetch your price.  This is where negotiating with artists becomes tricky.  I have had to say no to some wonderful product simply because I couldn't get a retail price for it.

Hold Everything

As I am now "working from home"  I have realized the importance of organizing my desk, not that anyone who saw my desk when I had an office would imagine I had any idea what organized looked like. 

Creative office supplies are some of the best sellers in a museum shop.  People like to be able to express their personality at work and have a little fun, especially now when office perks are quickly diminishing and most people work in cubicle farms.

As I contemplate where to find a pencil holder that doesn't come from IKEA I will share some fun organizers I come across in the past few days.

This felt "Loop" pencil holder comes in various sizes for all your organizing needs.

I love how this lamp doubles as a office supply organizer.  Such a space saver!

This brush organizer is so unexpected and clever.  They also make one for jewelry!

 These pieces and many others help make our work lives a little bit lighter and bring some fun and whimsy back into the office and in this day and age I think that is what many of your customers are looking for.

Bowled Over

Here is how you can have fun with a little bit of new design thrown in.  I was on Industreal's website yesterday and saw that they have designed a bowl shaped like a bowler hat, cute play on the theme.  It inspired me to create a little store display focused on Magritte in my head.

Bowler Hat Bowl-Industreal

Magritte:Attempting the Impossible-D.A.P.

The Blunt Umbrella-one of my favorite finds at NYIGF

Just fill the bowl with green apples from a local craft store and you have a fun simple display focused on a favorite artist.

Trends are crucial

 One of the most important strategies I have used in buying for museum stores is one that is used throughout the retail world, keeping on trend.  Yet I am amazed by how many museum stores fail to do just this. 

It will prove lucrative to have a store display that incorporates hot new merchandise and ties it directly to your museums' collections.

For example, I was able to pinpoint that American Indian motifs are going to be very big this fall and winter.  These collections are a major part of many museums across the country.  It is the perfect time to tell this story in your store because the public will soon be inundated with related merchandise on the open market and you can take advantage with the added benefit of actually being able to teach your merchandise as well as sell it.

Here are some examples of what customers will be seeing in stores

 This is a selection of Pendleton Blankets I saw in August at ABC Carpet & Home in NYC. 

 Pendleton Woolen Mills has introduced the new designer Portland Collection that is fresh and decidedly modern.  They have even produced some exclusive pieces for Anthropologie.

Here is an example of a product I sourced at the NY Gift Fair to capitalize on this trend

This is an iPhone case from Zero Gravity in LA.  These guys make wallets, iPhone Cases and iPad cases with a variety of images appealing to the young urban market.  They have several different American Indian styles that retail for $25.


I read just about every design, home and fashion magazine I can get my hands on and I bookmark close to 75 blogs and trend sites that I go through regularly.  I have discovered that sourcing merchandise based on these trends in a timely manner will give your store a fresh boost and that will be reflected in sales.  So much of fashion, home decor, and design comes from art and culture, take advantage!

Some Highlights

I'm going to start by posting some highlights from my current merchandise selection at the VMFA. 

The above picture is made up of pieces evoking a modern Asian tableau.  There is a mix of product from Asian importers, artists as well as pieces from commonly used gift store sources at a wide range of prices.  I like how well these pieces reflect our Asian art collection while at the same time provide a range of product for any home and budget.  These pieces work together to tell the story we want it to tell, but could say something completely different in your home. 

The companies represented here could not be more different.  The horse and two green vases (top table, right and middle table, center) are gift shop institution, Two's Company.  The pale, swirling vase on the top pedestal is from Brooklyn duo KleinReid, famous for their work with mid-century design master Eva Zeisel, as well as their own take on that era. The tall gray and white vase at the back of the top table and the small bowls placed up front are by the brilliant Chinese porcelain house Middle Kingdom.  Headquartered in Washington DC with a porcelain studio in China, Bo and Alison Jia use traditional Chinese porcelain techniques to create truly modern, affordable pieces.  The green top-handled piece (middle table, right) is a Tibetan lidded basket I found from an import company at the NY Gift Show.  The ironware pieces, a vase on the middle table far left, and a upright koi fish sculpture are from the terrific Asian import house Tampopo.  If you are ever in San Francisco check out their retail store Dandelion, it is a true gem.  The Buddha head and cream floral vase are from museum store fixtures TIC and Cyan respectively.

What I like about this table, and my store in general, is that it expresses one of the VMFA's  important cultural collections in a fresh, modern way.  It also shows that you can incorporate vendors that may be stocked in many other stores across the country as long as you choose pieces that tell your story and merchandise them with unique pieces to create a look that is truly yours.  It is easy to buy the story that a catalog or showroom is selling but what will set you apart from the crowd is to create your own story, piece by piece.  I assure you, your visitors will notice.