Exterior shot of Andersonville Galleria @ 5247 N. Clark St., Chicago IL
We were thinking about options for evolving our word-of-mouth, party-centric way selling our creations for quite a while. Trying to open our own store was daunting. That is just a huge commitment of time, energy and money. Maybe someday, but not yet. And trying to crack your way into existing shops and boutiques on a consignment basis can be difficult, too. Boutique owners want to know (and justifiably so) that you are 'real' and have some credibility before they decide to allocate some of their precious space to your goods. So when we saw this NYTimes article about the Andersonville Galleria we knew we had to pursue it. It is just a few blocks away from us. We have always loved the Andersonville neighborhood, having lived in the area since 2001. And you can't beat the flexible leasing terms they offer.
So we gathered up some of Judy's creations and headed over to meet one of the managers. They already had a number of booths featuring jewelry, so we can't yet sell Judy's boutique style earrings and necklaces there (we're on the "waiting list"). But we were able to secure a spot to start selling her other crafty items (like her altered clipboards, customized clothespin magnet clips, handmade stationery and greeting cards). So we signed a lease and got our toehold in the crazy world of bricks and mortar retail.
We spent two days during Judy's spring break getting our space ready for prime time. Below are some pictures of how it all came together.
Our modest beginnings
The raw space
Step 1: applying some primer
Step 2: Time to put the pink in the pink button boutique
It's starting to look like something ...
Getting a few shelves up. What would we do w/o Ikea?
Stocking some inventory ... feeling more 'real'
Recently added 'design your own clipboard' section
DIY close up
Samples of finished products that have proven to be popular in teaching circles
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