Let’s say you’re a brick and mortar purveyor of objects of some kind. Traditionally, you’d choose between being a gallery or a store. Or, perhaps you’d settle for a hybrid version of the two. The problem is, both models — and even the hybrid — are a bit flawed.
In order for the retail category to hold its own against the conveniences of online shopping, it’s got to touch hearts and minds in a powerful way. So many stores are just unwitting front ends for Amazon. So many lack personality. So few (except local boutiques owned by their designer) do anything to connect you to the process and the people behind the product.
Meanwhile, galleries also have a problem: they’re not sure of what they are. Are they high end shops? Glorified offices for art dealers? Mini museums? Entertainment venues? Places for salons and shin-digs? The problem with so many galleries is that however beautiful they are, they can feel stilted and cold. Each object is pristine, precious, and solitary: a disembodied thing out of time, out of context, and out of meaning, whether that meaning comes from provenance, people, place, process, or our lives.
It’s time for some serious reinvention. We think the answer lies in turning the consuming experience into the collecting experience, in which people are more thoughtful and engaged with what they choose to bring into their lives, buying less but buying better.
San Francisco’s THE NWBLK has mastered this formula.
Read the rest here at Handful of Salt