Image Matters

Quick: when you hear the words "gift shop," what comes to mind? A plethora of pedestrian product? An overdose of the cute and the corny? Too much calico and country? Everyone has their own taste, of course, but one of our industry's problems may be that its image is stuck in an era that's slipping away, and we keep trying to get back to it. Meanwhile, a new generation of product designers and retailers is looking to the future with quite a different perspective. They understand that today's consumers aren't filling curio cabinets with figurines or stacking side tables with resin reproductions. (In fact, they don't even have curio cabinets or side tables.) Rather, modern consumers are demanding the clean, simplified look of contemporary design.

Of course, many designers, manufacturers, and retailers are already offering stylish designer merchandise — and not all of them are newcomers. This year's 20th anniversary celebration of George Little Management's Accent on Design division is a reminder of that. And contemporary design is really hitting its stride with retailing powerhouses such as Crate & Barrel and Target, and manufacturing lions like Umbra and TAG leading the charge.

Among the newcomers are a number of vibrant specialty retailers setting up shop across the country. Many of them are finding their audiences in urban areas, revitalized small town Main Streets, or destination locations featuring artist galleries and boutiques. One great example of new independents, Artezen, in Bloomington, Illinois, is featured on page 30. And the background of its owners, Melanie Ginavan and Eric Shellito, is telling: they're both professional graphic designers. Take a look at what they've accomplished.

While many bemoan the lack of new talent in our industry, it may be that they're just looking in the wrong places. Part of Accent on Design's anniversary celebration was an AIDS charity fundraising party held at a Chelsea art gallery in New York last month. The space was filled with 400 young, hip designers, vendors, and retailers — a lot of attractive faces that we don't often see at other gift industry events. They're the wave of the future, and the ones we all need to know better.