The Power Up ⎯ SN.02/EP.02
One Owner's Secrets To Working With Artists
To curate a unique assortment, many small business owners turn to artists for one-of-a-kind products. Marlo Miyashiro, owner of the Handmade Showroom, now has relationships with over 250 artists. However, working with artists requires a business model that elevates their work and supports their success.
Marlo shares, “As we grew, the goal was to get to more wholesale as soon as possible and now we’re at about 90% wholesale. We do have a few artists who prefer to be on consignment because they are able to give us a lot of different kinds of goods and experiment with our customers. It’s really fun because it keeps a lot of [the artists’] inventory fresh.”
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About The Business
Business name: Handmade Showroom
Founded: 2015
Owner: Marlo Miyashiro
Location: Seattle, Washington
Website: https://thehandmadeshowroom.com
Sales diversification strategy: Storefront, shop-within-a-shop, e-commerce, social commerce
About Our Guest
Marlo Miyashiro grew a community of Etsy artists to open The Handmade Showroom, featuring designer made products. As a professional jewelry artist herself, Marlo understood how to build a business model that benefits makers and properly highlights their work to shoppers.
The Handmade Showroom first started as a pop-up in 2015 then transitioned to a full-time storefront by the end of the year. Four years later, Marlo’s team opened their second store, Bezel & Kiln. In early 2024, Marlo’s team focused on creating a shop-in-shop experience with both of their brands in one location.
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