The Fashionable Mix of Art and Commerce

If retailing is an art, it can translate into inspired art collecting. Just think of Stanley Marcus, who curated a formidable art collection, which graced his legendary Neiman Marcus stores. But did the tradition of retail and art appreciation stop with Marcus, who passed away in 2002?

Absolutely not, said Shaheen Sadeghi, owner of The Lab and The Camp specialty shopping centers in Costa Mesa, Calif. Rather, a new era of art and retail might have already started—at neighborhood boutiques.

“We’re seeing a huge resurgence of art,” Sadeghi said “But if artists can’t show at galleries, what place do they have to show their art? They’re finding space at boutiques, at hair salons, at wine bars. The art adds warmth and soul to these places.”

Sadeghi built galleries The Artery at The Lab and The Co-Op at The Camp. These spaces display painting, sculpture, photography and pottery by new artists. Sadeghi is serious about finding good art. In 2006, he appointed recent art graduates from the University of Southern California—Stephen Crout and Alex Herrera—to curate the 300,000-square-foot galleries, which are housed in three steel shipping containers.

While art might be finding new space at boutiques, the relationship between retailers and fine art has long been a balancing act between art and commerce. Artists garner a rare venue for their work. In return, retailers typically can rely on art to attract shoppers to the store.

It’s a time-honored relationship. However, it is one that might not be in vogue with some larger retailers, said Brian Dyches, a vice president for Canadian design and brandmanagement firm Watt International.

“There’s always been a certain bohemian class of retailers who have allied themselves with art culture,” Dyches said. “But I’ve not seen a huge rally for it. My clients have not asked for it.”

But Dyches said that it’s a good idea for retailers to be on a search for art. A painting hung above a rack of the latest denim may be one way to differentiate a boutique from the competition. It can also be a method of gaining goodwill from the buying public.

It’s one reason why Shane Wallace, president of the Chino, Calif.–based Active skateboard stores finds ways to place graffiti art, murals, paintings and photographs at his more-than 19 Active stores.

“We can get a POP [point-of-purchase] display [from a vendor], but we’ll look just like a Pacific Sunwear,” he said.

Instead, he, Active executives and his salespeople look for art that will tell the story of skateboard culture. The art can range from the surf art painted by Thomas Campbell to photographs of hip-hop musicians shot by artist Abiba Jefferson. All of these pieces hang in Active’s Santa Monica, Calif., location. But it also helps if the art is connected to the art-inspired brands sold at Active.

Ed Templeton, who first gained notoriety while designing graphics for Costa Mesa, Calif.–based RVCA, made graffiti art on some of Active’s dressing rooms.

Fans of Obey Clothing, based in Santa Ana, Calif., would probably be interested in visiting the Active store in Burbank, Calif. A 30-footby- 10-foot mural painted by Obey founder Shepard Fairey greets all who enter the place.

Artists get a lot of leeway to show what they want with their art at Active. But their expression has its limits. Art depicting nudity was taken down in the past when Wallace received complaints from some shoppers. Also, art can never dominate the store’s space. After all, Active is devoted to merchandise.

Active does not sell its art, and Wallace has not calculated if the attention to art has turned into sales of clothing. But he said he believes that art has made his stores into a required visiting place for anyone interested in skateboard culture.

“It’s a credibility issue,” Wallace said. “If people say that you have good art in the store, the store will be more legitimate in their eyes. Legitimacy turns [a casual shopper] into a long-term customer.”

Art also can create a sense of occasion at boutiques. Naama Givoni produces art nights and film nights at the Reserve boutique in Los Angeles, which she co-owns with Rick Klotz, founder of the Fresh Jive clothing label.

Givoni said more than 100 people typically visit Reserve’s film nights. But she has to be careful with what art and films she curates at the 1,000-square-foot space. “We wouldn’t do a night based on pictures of kittens. Art has to make sense here. We still have our boundaries,” she said of her streetwear boutique.

Like art gallery curators, retailers have to know the limits of their public’s tastes, Dyches said. “Art is a beautiful interruption to the overall flow of product presentation, but you have to know the customer well. You must choose art styles [that] resonate with them. Art can turn people off, and that’s the last thing you want to do,” Dyches said.