by NEW YORK — February 15, 2023 — Shoppe Object, New York’s Premier Home & Gift Show, took place February 5-7 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side with a larger footprint, a bigger brand count, a sold out floor, and record breaking attendance.
The show’s expansion proved that quality and quantity can coexist. 30% more exhibition space helped to facilitate 150 new brands (for a total of 600+ cross-channel participants). With attendees traveling from across the country and the world, representing 6 continents, 38 countries, and all 50 states, Shoppe Object managed significant growth while maintaining the carefully curated, design-forward ethos and engaging presentation that first defined it.
“We had two clear objectives for this market,” said Shoppe Object’s founder and show director, Jesse James. “To fill the new pavilion without sacrificing an ounce of quality, and to attract new buyers at a rate that outpaced the expansion.”
Visitors arrived in record numbers to the three-day market, with a 35% increase over Shoppe Object’s August edition — a 60% jump from the previous year — for their largest ever audience. The crowd included a sizable post-pandemic uptick in new buyers, 55% who were visiting Shoppe Object for the first time.
Ruth Shapiro, director of sales and business development for the Museum of Modern Art, felt the change in energy.
“Lots of excitement and enthusiasm this market,” she said. “The show has expanded to include many more exhibitors. Clearly Shoppe Object is where the best and most interesting vendors and products are to be found.”
New attendee Sarah Harrison of Coriander in Collingwood, Ontario said, “This is my fifth trade show in 2023 and definitely my favorite.”
A who’s who of retailers were among those who came to the event, including national chains like Anthropologie, Barnes & Noble, Blick Art Materials, CAMP, Crate & Barrel, Design Within Reach, Eataly, Free People, Gap Inc., Hallmark, J. Crew, Madewell, Pottery Barn, Serena & Lily, Standard Hotels, Starbucks, Target, Terrain, Urban Outfitters, West Elm and Williams-Sonoma. Department stores included Beams and Tomorrowland from Japan, Selfridges and Liberty of London, Merci Paris, and a wide range of familiar domestic names like Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. Museum stores came from all over the country, including The Art Institute and MCA Chicago, The Getty Museum, SFMOMA, The Noguchi Foundation and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to name a few, and a fast growing list of catalog and online retailers present included Bespoke Post, Burke Decor, FabFitFun, Food52, Garnet Hill, Jayson Home, One Kings Lane, Maisonette, Schoolhouse, Sundance, UncommonGoods, Verishop, and Wayfair. Premier independent retailers — arguably the lifeblood of the event — included Aero Studios, Clic Gallery, Coming Soon, The Conservatory, John Derian Company, Love Adorned, McNally Jackson Books, The Merchant, Oxford Exchange, The Paris Market, Plain Goods, and The Primary Essentials. Notable press included The New York Times, Oprah Daily, Remodelista, The Strategist, Vanity Fair and Vogue.
Dotti Spillman, longtime sales director for Shoppe Object exhibitor, Blomus, was pleased with the turnout. “It was amazing. We were busy from start to finish, and we were very impressed with the amount of traffic.”
Melissa Constandse, principal of local participating brand Open Sea Design Co. of Brooklyn, New York, appreciated the retention of a more personal atmosphere despite all the expansion.
“Even though Shoppe Object has really grown, it still feels so much more intimate and curated than any other show,” she said.
With the expanded footprint — which included a new entrance through a 20,000 square foot annex adjoining the existing Pier 36 location — the growing number of exhibitors, and the show’s quality curation, many buyers said they are recalibrating their New York market calendars to spend multiple days at Shoppe Object.
“We have been seeing this trend since the return to our physical shows, but this event marked a striking turning point,” said Renata Bokalo, Shoppe Object’s director of sales. “Our new pavilion provided an increase that was vital to our organic growth — now our audience is realizing that spending any less than two full days at Shoppe Object is a missed opportunity.”
The exhibitor line-up this season reflected the show’s master plan to adjust its post-covid category distribution, with strategic expansion of Home brands as a particular focus, and a thoughtful rebalancing of Gift and Accessories.
Home brands now represent 45% of the roster, with Accessories making up 30%, and the final 25% comprised of Gift. Cross-category buyers responded positively to the mix.
Sue Walsh of Artefact in both Boston and Belmont, Massachusetts, said, “Our overall impression was “Wow!” We purchased from 18 vendors — over half were new for us — now that’s a good show. We arrived at 9 a.m. and we were still in the first aisle two hours later.”
Veteran lifestyle retailer Kathy Hahn of Adesso in Highland Park, Illinois, said, “The range of product was terrific. Lots of new sources, and the exhibitors seemed happy.”
And Cat Birch, head of merchandising for the new online retailer Afternoon Light, which carries products in most of the show’s categories, felt she had “No need to go to any other New York trade shows besides Shoppe Object. I was able to catch up with over 25 of our existing brands, and picked up 18 new ones.”
The show’s increased roster included many from further afield.
Bringing new international faces to the floor was Shoppe Object’s own Global Artisans Project, a collaboration with ByHand Consulting to present a selection of handmade goods from makers dedicated to preserving craft techniques and supporting artisan communities. The participating brands hailed from Uzbekistan, Morocco, Ghana, and Columbia.
Returning international pavilions like Showcase Japan and Made in Ireland highlighted collections of both innovative and heritage brands.
Miriam Cushen of Cushendale Woollen Mills, a textile brand from County Kilkenny, Ireland, who exhibited their unique fleece-to-fabric product for the fourth time at Shoppe Object, noted, “Attending Shoppe Object is always such a pleasure. Even with the expansion, the show maintained the intimacy and personal touch that makes it so special.”
Shoppe Object’s ongoing Black Lives Matter Action Initiative (BLMAI) continued in partnership with Ribbon, the show’s e-commerce development arm. Together, they sponsor the booths of ten new Black-owned brands at Shoppe Object each season, with 10 additional brands continuing on the online marketplace, Shoppe Online.
Participating brands spanned categories from Personal Accessories to Home Fragrance to Textiles.
“This program could be life changing for small businesses like mine,” shared Sugar Taylor, whose eponymous lifestyle brand was among the 10 BLMAI selections this market, and who plans to return this summer. Upon completion of the show, Lynnet Muritu of MimiPambo, a jewelry brand that exhibited through the BLMAI program, commented, “The exposure was outstanding, we learned so much, and our business is expanding because of it.”
She continued, “The best part was the community of other brands around us and the depth of knowledge they shared with us in just those three days.”
The success of Shoppe Object can also be found in the details. The carefully imagined look of the space was a draw, featuring a large wall of available artwork from Darrell Dean, the show’s North Carolina based Artist of the Season, as well as dramatic and colorful installations from Dallas’s The Color Condition. Cafe service included healthy, high-quality options for lunches and snacks, and carts roaming the floor offered celebratory champagne, as well as other beverages and easy bites. And as always, the integration of the show with its online marketplace, Shoppe Online, allowed Exhibitors and Buyers to place orders, track interactions, and shop and sell with ease.
As recently announced, the Shoppe Object brand will expand to High Point Market starting in October of 2023. The next New York edition of Shoppe Object will return to the Riverside and Cityside Pavilions at Pier 36 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, August 13-15, 2023.
