Boomerang interview

All That Glitters

Naomi Richardson of Glitter Workshop

Glitter Workshop began in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2005 and has since started an online store. Billed as “Cottage Industry for the 21st Century, “ Glitter offers a variety of hand-crafted wares, many on consignment and many using recycled materials. They also offer some vintage objects and clothing as well as classes in knitting and other crafts on occasion. Betty interviews the owner on her successful store, interest in crafts and why she thinks they appeal to so many.

Boomerang: How did you come up with the idea for the store?

Naomi Richardson: I have always dreamed of owning a boutique. I have been doing shows for years and was looking into outlets to expand my retail presence. When I found out that this space was coming available for rent, I just had to jump at it. I live close by and have enjoyed shopping in this area for years, and I thought about what a hard time I was having at finding funky boutiques that take consignment—it would fill a gap in that market.

What is your background—have you always been a crafter yourself?

NR: I have always been a crafter. My mother is an artist, and I used to do art shows with her (she was a weaver). We were always encouraged to express ourselves and given plenty of glue and glitter to do it with! I took courses at the Milwaukee Institute of Art while I was in high school and briefly attended the school after finishing high school. I used to work primarily in oils but after the birth of my two daughters found it hard to find space and time for painting and went back to working in beads, knitting, candle making and more 'craft' type mediums.

When did you start Glitter Workshop? What types of items do you sell?

NR: I opened The Glitter Workshop in January 2005, and Heather Johnson joined me as my business partner in August of 2005.
Many of our items would be described as 'crafts', but people automatically think of fluffy stuffed snowmen and ducks. There is so much artistic skill in each piece of jewelry and purse, that I feel it is art. We sell everything from t-shirts, purses, candles and soaps, to coasters, vintage housewares and dog coats.

I know you work with a lot of consignment artists and crafters. How does that work?

Crafting: Cottage Industry for the 21st Century!

NR: We currently have over 100 local, national and international artists. Many of these people contact us to set up a time to look at their work, and some of them we solicit if we love their work or if they come recommended from other artists. Basically we then just meet with the artist and see if their work fits with our feel and if it is something new and exciting. We are trying to increase our production as well, and are cutting back a little on the consignment aspect. If we do choose to take someone on as an artist, we don't charge them anything to be a part of Glitter, we just take a percentage of the item’s sale when it sells.

You've done some creative marketing events such as the ones at High Noon Saloon (a nearby bar and music venue). Why did you decide to do that?

NR: Guerilla marketing! Well, there are a few different reasons. First of all, all of the standard advertising venues are very very expensive. It is just not in our budget to run a 1/4 page ad for $1,000! Many of our customers live in the neighborhood and hear about us from word of mouth or flyers as well.

The reason I decided to start the Craftaculars at the High Noon was after being in some funky shows such as Art vs. Craft in Milwaukee, I realized there really weren't any 'alternative' craft shows in Madison. We had our first show last July, then my friend Emily Kircher helped with the Christmas Mad-Craftmas, and we had a little Craftacular in February. Each show is getting more and more response and we now have a waiting list for vendors and have repeat customers waiting for the next show! The next show is being planned for July.

You just went online. Are you excited about this, and what are your expectations?

NR: We are very excited. We are starting to get a national recognition from some of the shows we have been a part of and from some crafting forums and projects we have done, such as the Home of the Sampler. The Sampler is a great collective of artists who donate their items to be distributed through 'sampler packs' that people subscribe to. This is a great way to get our items and information out to 200 potential customers. Through this, we were chosen to be part of the MTV Style Lounge. Marie Kare, who runs the Sampler, is going to be creating promo packets for the MTV movie awards and our pin packs are going to be included in those. We are very proud of this recognition and feel that it will also really help our web presence.

How do you feel about this way of reaching customers-does it create a community you couldn't reach otherwise?

NR: Definitely! Our first order off of our website was from Sweden! We were chosen as an editor's pick on the Bust magazine's Girl Wide Web as well, which has helped generate quite a bit of traffic onto our site, too.

A lot of your merchandise involves recycled, reworked items...Does that fit into your "philosophy" about what you carry?

NR: I do appreciate recycled work, and as a mother completely support any work that has less of an impact on our environment for our furture generations, but I really love to support all different kinds of work, be them recycled or not.

Seems like there's been a strong interest in retro in the last few years. Why do you think that is?

NR: The glamour and style! I know from an entirely personal standpoint I love the thought of standing in my pink and red kitchen in high heels cooking an elaborate meal for my family! Really, I think that the general craftsmanship of day-to-day items was high quality also. I have dresses that belonged to my grandmother that are still in great shape, but have shirts I bought at a chain store a year ago that are falling apart at the seams. I think that the new up and coming artists and crafters are trying to bring this sense of craft and style back the work they create.

There also seems to be a resurgence in hands-on creativity such as crafting, knitting, sewing. These were things many of our readers (boomers) remember their mothers were into but today it seems a whole new generation is interested in crafting. What do you think about this or why do you think this is?

NR: Cottage Industry for the 21st Century! There is a huge resurgence of crafting. It wasn't so long ago that we depended on those skills for every day life. Even as a child I remember my mother weaving rugs and sewing us clothes, and even more so, she remembers her childhood and how important having these skills were. We are trying to show that they are alive and thriving, that you can have a business and support yourself from your art, crafts, skills, and style.

Check out Glitter Workshop online at www.glitterworkshop.com .

—Betty Boom

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