"You've got such a unique selection. How do you pick what to carry?"
We hear that question we hear all the time in our Naples Florida shop. We've got a three "rules" we try to follow when shopping for our store.
1. Where's it made? While we're not 100% made in the US, it's usually our first choice. When we do carry a few artists from other parts of the Americas (Canada, Mexico, Venezuala, Peru, etc.), it's always the work of individual artist we know or certified Fair Trade organizations. Our goal is to stay away from mass-produced and really focus on unique products made by happy people doing something they love for fair pay.
2. Does it make you happy? Listen, life is full of hard stuff. We firmly believe you should surround yourself with things that bring you joy. Whether it's quirky art blocks that make you laugh out loud, pretty earrings that make you feel beautiful or a curvy handmade bowl that makes your store bought dip look homemade.
3. Is it unique? We work really hard to not be like other stores. We love hearing "I've never seen this before". We want you to feel like you've discovered a treasure when you're shopping with us.
After we ask those three questions, it's really just about a feeling. With over 30 years in this industry (the 16 years we've been in business & 16 years working for someone else), a lot of our buying comes down to a gut feeling. Also, we're in the store everyday, talking to customers, hearing what sort of things they're looking for or what kind of need they're looking to fill. So while we do sell quite a bit online, everything on our website started as something we brought into our brick & mortar store.
Oh yeah, those "rules"...they're not hard and fast. We've been know to throw the rules completely out the window for something we really, really love.