Let me just start by introducing myself. So my name is Katie and I'm part of the retail team at Publicist Sapient. I've been with the organization probably about six years now, specifically within the retail practice three. And my focus is on business development. So I work with retailers who are, you know, they come to us with a couple of different challenges. And, you know, we work to help solve those types of challenges. And so one of the other things that, you know, we do here at the organization, you know, is chat with retailers and get to learn from them. So again, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. You know, we love having these sessions with game changers like you so that we can learn about your journey in the world of design and retail. I think it's personally a story that needs to be shared and really can be inspiring for others to hear. So today we're just going to have a casual chat about that journey and really just zero in on your rise in the retail space. Sound good?
Sounds like a plan.
Good, good. Okay. So to kick things off, I'd love to chat about how you got your start in retail. I read that you started off with a relationship with Barneys. But if you can talk to us kind of about your initial days back in the 90s as an artist selling through retail, I think, you know, the more detail, the better.
Okay, great. Yeah. I have an improbable origin story. I started my career as a potter quite by accident. I was in my mid-20s. I had failed at every job I'd ever had. I'd been fired for very loose morals within the office. And I was unemployed and unemployable at 27. And I just thought, you know what, I'm going to make some pots. I'm sort of going to give up on the corporate world and just try to be a potter. And I expected a life of poverty in which I was going to hawk my wares at rain-soaked craft fairs, which, you know, would have been at least one option at the time for direct consumer sales, albeit a bit of a ratchet one. But so I just, I kind of went into it with very low expectations. And I was making pots, and I was on my parents' payroll, and they were like, all right, you're 27, you went to Brown, no more payroll, like, get a job or sell a pot. And I called up a buyer at Barney's through a friend of a friend, and they came over to my studio and placed an order. And I think, and that sort of launched me, I filled the order, and then I very gradually took it from there. I think one of the things that was interesting about that period, which was 94, was that there were very few outlets for selling your stuff. It wasn't like today where you can just set up a website. You know, it was, you had to just, if you could get an order and get your product placed, whatever it is, you know, pottery, hats, doilies, whatever you were making, if you could get an order, then suddenly you existed on some sort of a playing field. And Barney's was kind of the best of the best. So I was very lucky. I broke through one hurdle, and I very gradually built a cottage industry in which I was making everything myself. I was like the potter, the painter, the glazer, the packer, the shipper, and I was really getting burnt out. I sort of did that for about five years of intense manual labor, and it became pretty clear that I had to get help. I had sort of a Jesus take the wheel moment. I found some people to help me make the pots, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, fast forward to retail. I think I was in business for about five or six years, just sort of in a very, you know, marginal cottage industry kind of way, when I decided to open my first retail store against all advice. Even my husband, Simon Doonan, a retail veteran himself, was like, don't do this, it's too risky. My parents were very risk averse, but I decided that retail was the best option for me because I sort of had something to say, and I wanted to be able to say it with no mediating voices in the middle. So I thought, you know, I'll open a retail store. It was relatively low stakes. My rent was $2,500 a month on Broom Street.
That's great.
I know, right?
Wow.
I know. And, you know, I was still, you know, making the stuff. I was manning the till, and more than anything, it was retail represented an opportunity for me to just very directly present my work, my voice, directly to the public. And so that's really how I got started, and I'm happy to dig in deeper. But I think retail for me has always been a very, very meaningful way to communicate.
Yeah, of course. And so how, you know, you went direct to consumer against all odds, and it worked out fabulously. So now, you know, where are you in this direct to consumer journey? You know, you're selling, besides your physical, you've got physical stores in New York, but where else?
I am much older, and the retail landscape is revolutionarily different. Like, it's like there's no comparison. There's just not, you know, my origin story is sort of a quaint Colonial Williamsburg kind of story that has no bearing on the retail landscape today. It's a radically different place. Now I have, I can't remember if it's 11 or 12 stores, I think 12. And I have them in sort of prominent retail locales in America, where my customer is, several in New York City, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Miami. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, and London.
All the trendy spots.
All the trendy spots, all the places I want to go. And of course, I have my web business, which, as you can imagine, is by far my biggest business.
Absolutely, and definitely is for most retailers, especially now. And, you know, would love to know about where you get your inspiration to drive innovation, both in your designs and in your business, right? Clearly, you know, you have such an eclectic, colorful, vibrant personality, and it translates in your work. So, you know, tell us more about how you get that inspiration for your designs.
Well, I think the word authentic is bandied about constantly these days. And usually when I hear someone say they're authentic, I just say, oh, I got it. That means they're inauthentic. It's like the exact opposite. It never means what it says.
Sure.
And so while I'm hesitant to call myself authentic, I will say that I strive to remain as authentic as possible. And the way I do that is by being quite insular in my outlook. I try to stay sort of as true to my voice. And that means everything from my work to my stores to my website as possible. And I think that the key to that is, again, trying to remain authentic, trying to tune out the noise of trends and what other people are doing, leave the best practices stuff to my kind of back-end business functionaries in my company, who, of course, are far more important than I am. I don't mean to diminish their contribution, but in terms of the voice of the company, the voice of the retail experience, the voice of the product, it comes from me. I'm very insular. And I think that is the key to authenticity. Stay blinkered, stay in your world, and you will create a unique experience, which is what is needed in today's retail climate.
Yeah, I love that. So as you know, Publis is the digital consultancy to various clients, many in the retail industry. And so having been a leader in this space for decades, can you talk about some of those core challenges that you think consumer goods and retailers are facing today?
I don't even know where to begin. I think my origin story is germane because, as I mentioned, there were very few players when I first got started. You know, once you could break into a major retail player, suddenly you had a platform, you had a voice, people had to go to that retailer to buy your stuff, and there was just much less competition. Now, in the current retail climate, people are coming at you from up, down, left, right, under, over, everywhere. When people ask me, who's your competition, I say Hermes and Walmart. It's everything. So I think in the past, you used to really be able to, there were very clear rules in the retail space. There were rules about if you do elevated, then don't go mass because it'll ruin everything. There were rules. The rules no longer apply. There are no rules. And that can be very, very liberating as well as very challenging. So I think that the current retail climate is endlessly impossible to navigate. There are people disrupting you from every which way. For me, I try to tune it out and just stay true to my voice and ignore the challenges, which are myriad.
Of course, yeah. And I have to talk about the pandemic. Clearly, it is an event in our lifetime that impacted everyone and especially it proved challenging for many businesses, the rapid pace in which they had to shift mindset, shift roadmaps, the need for this transformation, if you will. What key insights can you share from your experiences dealing with the pandemic over the past three years?
Well, I guess I'm relatively lucky to be in the home space. Obviously, it's been a challenge for everyone, but I think as it turns out—
Certainly changed the way people have worked, certainly the way people have interacted. I wholeheartedly agree with you on that one. So, you know, hopefully with everything opening up now and things getting quote unquote back to normal, you know, we can kind of change that shift again. But, you know, thank you for all of these insights. I really enjoyed this conversation. Is there any other piece of information that you would like just to add, something that we didn't cover? I just want to make sure that I'm just covering my bases here.
I mean, dudes, just visit my stores to watch the magic unfold and visit my website, jonathanadler.com. It's fantastic.
It is. I was telling my mom about this. I was like, I have this interview with Jonathan Adler and her eyes just lit up. And, you know, my mom's gone through very different types of decorating phases. And right now she is certainly in the pop, the vibe, the color. She's into all of pieces that make statements when you walk in. And she just, she's like, oh my God, I love his pieces. And she was just so excited for me. So, yes, that's fantastic.
And I always say to not know me is to love me. So you're getting just the right amount of me.
Just the right amount. Yeah, no, it's certainly, you sell through a lot of different, you know, not just your store. I've seen you on Ruggable, in partnership with Ruggable and Wayfair. And so your name definitely pops up a lot in searches.
Oh, good. Well, I'm glad to hear that. And it's been such a treat chatting with you. Hopefully next time IRL.
Definitely, definitely. I hope that we can make that happen. So thank you again, Jonathan. You know, this has been such a great conversation and I appreciate the time that you've taken to talk with us. Pledge later. Bye.