Retail Reimagined: Europe's Inspiring Home, Garden, and Hardware Stores

 

It had been 21 years since I’d traveled to Europe. Despite the distance in time, it left a lasting impression that helped define what would become ARTIFACT.

I love objects, particularly well-made, well-designed objects. In America, it is a struggle to find utilitarian stores and products that prioritize quality over value. Over the years I’ve developed love affairs with mercantile shops and brands all over the world via their catalogs and websites. This trip to France, England, Germany, and Italy allowed me to finally visit a few of these long-distance retail relationships. The purpose was research and inspiration.

In the cities I visited, there’s still a palpable old-world mercantile vibe, with streets lined with specialty shops, restaurants, and intriguing  doors leading to residences. Like paintings, their retail spaces are constrained by smaller footprints. They delightfully choreograph visual flow. Your eye is guided naturally from a thoughtfully chosen focal point through carefully merchandized product arrangements. Too often US stores lack this intentional journey, leaving the customer visually overwhelmed by awkward use of negative space and too many choices.  

A highlight of my travel was experiencing Manufactum in Munich, where they offer a cohesive selection of high-quality goods for garden, kitchen, office, and home. Their store was larger than other utilitarian shops I visited but masterfully laid out. It never felt big box. Manufactum is sublimely void of flash and trend and focused on earning the trust of their customer by offering reliable staples. As suspected, their catalog was only the tip of the iceberg. I spent hours conducting research in their sanctuary from the disposable world.  

Another delight was shopping La Tresorerie in Paris. Natural light diffused softly from their gorgeous skylights onto thoughtful arrangements of products for home, garden, and kitchen. Antique paint-flecked industrial shelves held symmetrically arranged linens. These were offered in unique, inviting colors that spoke to the assured taste of the shop owners. Again, like a painting my eyes were guided to specific retail moments that convey ideal life scenarios. I discovered numerous unknown products from familiar brands. I also encountered new brands I'm delighted to become acquainted with. Exceptional.

My final highlight is Hamstead Hardware. What I would describe as an archetypal European hardware store in a borough of London. Its tiny footprint creates an inherent challenge to thoughtfully select which products to offer. Equally important is how these products are presented. I studied this shop with amazement as to how they could have such a thorough selection while not feeling claustrophobic. The shop keeper must have thought I was an odd duck as I walked his aisles with an involuntary smile, snapping photos of everything. I found European hardware in general to be of superior design and quality in the shops I visited. In my experience, US hardware shops provide a choice between good enough and better, while Europe seems to focus on better and best. Another example where cultural bias on quality over value presents itself.

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