Artemest, Italian purveyor of contemporary handmade decor, crafts, and home furnishings, recently opened a pop-up at 39 Wooster Street in New York’s SoHo neighborhood.
Founder Ippolita Rostagno is sticking true to Artemest’s theme of celebrating the whimsy of beauty and luxury by creating this impeccably-curated temporary store resembling an art gallery as opposed to a traditional retail environment.
Throughout the space, artisan furniture and home decor are presented as individual pieces on pedestals against a simple, lighted, gallery-inspired backdrop. This layout evokes emotion and tells the story of each product without distractions or whole-room applications. It’s definitely not your typical big-box shopping experience.
Cultural ambassadors guide pop-up visitors through their retail journey by explaining the history and the craftsmanship behind each showcase. If customers express interest in a product, they can scan the QR code attached to the piece and complete the purchase on the Artemest website.
In a statement, Co-Founder and CEO of Artemest noted, “The Artemest SoHo pop-up is part of our strategy of combining physical and digital retail. Being a digitally-native brand, we are exploring offline retail with a customer-centric approach, mixing best in class technologies, such as AR, with live on-site crafts demonstrations.”
Artemest is paving the way for future experience-based retail efforts. Their innovative take on in-person-meets-online shopping is the first step in a shift toward a more interactive approach to home furniture and decor sales.
The Artemest Pop-Up Exhibition is located at 39 Wooster St in New York City and runs November 5 through January 31, 2019.