Project Scope
Silvae had good sell through at local boutiques and events, and I was interested in opening a retail location to capitalize on the growth. In the spring of 2016 I reached out to one of my collaborators, Charlie Schuck, who I had worked with on several photography campaigns. He had run the store Object out of his photography studio in Belltown and mentioned interest in opening a clothing store.
We looked at a couple spaces, but the retail rent was climbing in Seattle and felt out of reach. Charlie decided to keep his focus on photography, but he was outgrowing his studio in Belltown and offered up the space. The building was owned by a local family that had kept the rent low for creatives. In the nineties Pearl Jam used to practice in the basement, and Black Dog Forge shared the building with an entrance in the back alley. It wasn't a traditional lease agreement, but with the low rent it was too good an opportunity to pass up. I reached out to a local jewelry designer, Faris, to see if she'd be interested in joining forces and Rizom was born.
Brand Development
Charlie connected us to Strath Shepard, a Creative Director at Nordstrom, who had been interested in opening an art and fashion focused book store. We moved forward with a plan to house Strath's bookstore, Pacific Standard, in the upper level of the shop, and the main floor would feature Faris's jewelry line and my collection, Silvae, along with a curated mix of women's apparel and objects.
We began by gathering inspiration for the store concept and branding. In initial discussions we established that we wanted the store to feel artful and timeless. A new form of classic that would play away from convention to create a dynamic store experience. We would do this through thoughtful curation, focusing on brands that were not currently featured in Seattle, creating moments of discovery, and hosting events to engage the customer and create a sense of community. We wanted the store identity to speak to this community and landed on the name Rizom, the phonetic spelling of Rhizome, which is a continuously growing underground root system.
Retail Design
In June we began work on the physical space, utilizing our network to do the build-out on a budget. We brought in contractors we knew to help tear down the dropdown ceiling, install skylights and light fixtures, and pour a thin concrete floor. Faris and I did as much as we could ourselves, helping to build the dressing rooms, paint, finish the floors, and strip paint off the windows.
We wanted the space to feel elegant and welcoming, and landed on a warm palette with silver, travertine, and wood accents. I made the dressing room curtains, and Faris was able to pull some furniture from her parent's collection. We happened upon garment racks that were being given away by a larger retailer, and sourced the remaining fixtures from Craigslist. To keep us organized, I developed a spreadsheet of our opening tasks and created weekly to-do lists. I researched and set up the store logistics and operating systems which ranged from our business licenses, accounting and operating agreement to the point of sale, internet, and signage.
Merchandising
Faris and I reached out to our network to bring in the initial product for the store. From attending market with our own lines we had made connections with other emerging designers. We were able to bring a number of these lines in on consignment terms by offering a 60/40 split of the retail price. While we received a smaller percentage, it was a huge benefit to start with consignment so we could learn about our customers and which lines would sell.
Before the store opened, Faris and I attended the Spring 17 market in New York and were able to add exclusive brands like Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Nomia, Assembly NY, and Mr Larkin who had a strong following. In addition to apparel, we brought in art / objects like candles by Andre Urem and ceramics by local artist Adrien Miller. This helped to diversify the product offering and add an artful element to the space.
We planned photoshoots to promote the product and create content for the website, social media, and events. Faris and I styled the shoots, and worked with friends for the photography and modeling. The shoots helped to create a strong brand identity and draw customers to the store.
Layout
For the store layout, we wanted the space to have a natural flow and create moments of surprise and discovery. A central table displayed a seasonal flower arrangement, accessories, and books from Pacific Standard which presented an opportunity to share about the bookstore upstairs. Additional table displays were placed between garment racks to break them up and highlight the ceramics and art objects.
We arranged a seating area near the front of the shop where customers could relax and spend time exploring printed materials, and the jewelry case was placed near the back corner so it would be away from the front door. Notes about the makers were placed throughout the shop to engage customers and connect them to the products. We used a desk that Faris designed with a local woodworker for the cash wrap, and placed it next to the dressing rooms so it would be easy for clients to move into checkout.
Opening
To prepare for the opening in September, we created social media accounts to start building the brand identity and let people know about the launch party. We received press coverage from local outlets like the Seattle Times and Seattle Met, and sent a newsletter to our existing clients. We partnered with our friends, Prototype Sessions, to DJ and local restaurant Spinasse for food and wine.
We had a great turnout for the opening which led into a successful first year of business. We hosted a number of events at Rizom including pop-ups with Nomia, Casa Shop, Cuniform, and The Corner Store. The intention we built into the space helped turn us into a shopping destination, and we were featured on the cover of Gray Magazine, the Nordstrom blog, Racked, Garmentory and Sight Unseen.
Learnings
Opening Rizom provided an opportunity to design an end-to-end retail experience. It gave us more control over how our products were featured and connected us more intimately with our clients. It was also a great experience to partner with another business owner on a project. By doing the majority of the build-out ourselves, we were able to open with a limited investment and break even in the first year of business.
Customers were often amazed that we were the ones making the products and were excited to learn about the other lines we had curated in the store. The thought that we put into our product offering and retail space created an atmosphere of discovery and delight. Though we were a little off the beaten path, customers sought us out and we found that people were motivated to buy when they walked through the door.
By working on consignment terms with a number of the brands we were able to learn about our customers needs and incorporate them into our buy plan. This allowed us to double our wholesale sales in a year and in the last three months of business we showed a 28% increase in net sales volume.
