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ARTFUL DISPLAYS

ARTFUL DISPLAYS
The Brooklyn Papers / Rachel B. Schwartz

Carissa Ackerman doesn’t use shelves or
racks to display the latest collection in her Williamsburg boutique.
She doesn’t need them. Dresses and women’s playsuits dangle from
iron branches and hooks, shoes spill out from pails and open
nightstand drawers, and tees lie draped over antique furniture.




Space along the teal-tinted walls, that’s not covered by clothes,
is filled with photography, paintings, comics and murals of models
and cartoons.



The collaged decor is quirky and artistic.



"I wanted to have an art kind of space," Ackerman said.
"The focus was showcasing forms of art that we respect –
not just that you’re buying things."



When Ackerman’s shop, Mandate of Heaven, opened last November,
it became a new addition to the growing trend of gallery-store
spaces in Williamsburg. The lovechild of Brooklyn’s booming boutique
and art scenes, the typical gallery-store fuses artforms with
stock and displays one-of-a-kind creations by independent designers.




In the past two years, these hybrids have taken root in the neighborhood
around Grand Street below Bedford Avenue. Mandate of Heaven,
located on Grand Street between Havemeyer and Marcy Avenue, is
situated in the cradle of this unique form of shopping.



"I think our area’s really picking up," Ackerman said.
"Bedford closes early, it’s kind of annoying. Our area is
interesting because it’s a bit more artistic and open later.
I feel like, here, people are really trying to do something cool."



Among Mandate’s neighbors, the pun-loving Maiden, Brooklyn and
the colorful Cinders are similar examples of this art-meets-retail
culture. Yet, like their featured items, no two gallery-stores
are alike. With its lounge area and comic book collections, Mandate
strives to marry the comfy with the chic, and features mostly
Ackerman’s designs. Maiden and Cinders, however, fit more closely
into the museum mold, as their layouts take on the form of a
featured exhibit and showcase multiple artists.



Despite these differences, all stores share a commitment to mixing
the commercial with the creative.



"I wanted this to be more than just a store," said
Ackerman. "I wanted an interactive space where you could
take it all in."



On a recent Thursday afternoon, a young customer was hesitantly
taking in the atmosphere at Maiden, Brooklyn, which opened in
June 2005. She was standing over a sewed and stuffed imitation
of cocaine lines and a razor, debating whether or not to touch
them.



"Go ahead," said owner Radek Szczesny. "You can
play with it. Take it. Try it on."



While the setting is a bit more formal than Mandate, everything
is up for grabs at Maiden – even the wooden display tables are
carefully handcrafted and for sale. According to Szczesny, this
tangibility lies at the heart of blending gallery and store:
making art more accessible to the public.



"We like the idea of mixing fashion, art and design and
showing people how it’s a livable mixture," he said.



In addition to mixing art forms, gallery-store owners like Szczesny
and Ackerman further their interactive atmospheres through events
for the community. While Ackerman hosts weekend parties inside
her store, Szczesny holds formal exhibitions and concerts when
the interior takes on a new show. Hosting events helps gallery-stores
twofold, as they attract both potential contributors and customers
alike.



This forum allows designers to sell their artwork in a retail
setting without compromising their creative ambitions. Cinders,
a store that divides its space into a front-room gallery and
backroom store, also hosts frequent events and exhibitions –
the most recent of which was the launch of "Everything Went
Slanted," a display of collaged wooden phrases by co-owner
Sto.



At Cinders, which opened in 2004, each exhibited piece is for
sale (ranging from $15 to an intimidating price tag marked "ask").
After the show, unsold items make their way into the store section,
where they join remnants of exhibits past. On the brick back
wall, mounted tanks, skirts, and cartoon tees mingle with original
paintings, unspooling like a highlight reel of previous shows.




According to co-owner Kelie Bowman, the store helps contributors
sell art without selling out.



"I think it’s a trend among artists that aren’t working
for a corporation, but themselves," she said. "It’s
a reaction against things like Wal-Mart."



There are no Wal-Marts in Williamsburg. And that’s probably a
good thing. For stores in the neighborhood, the competition of
big-name brands is far less intense than Manhattan.



Sandra Ardito, a clerk at Maiden, was hopeful about the borough’s
preference for the individuality of grassroots shops.



"I think the gallery idea is catching on here," Ardito
said, "because the whole area’s trying to bring back the
idea that you don’t have to be a Gap or American Apparel. You
can be more artistic."



Especially in a creative community like Williamsburg, the store-meets-showcase
setting attracts a clientele that relishes all things experiemental.
Currently at Maiden, there are several silkscreen tote bags by
Tobias Wong, an artist whose work has been featured in the Museum
of Modern Art. Using Maiden to work outside the more rigid museum
structure, Wong contributed the one-of-a-kind bags, decorated
with Warhol-esque colored handguns, to the store.



"I like how most people who contribute to the store also
do other things, but want to try something new," Ardito
said. "I’m sure that the woman who makes the Jack Daniel’s
cozies doesn’t only do that."



In order to maintain this fresh, experimental atmosphere, some
gallery stores – like an actual gallery – are forever changing
faces as they exhibit new work. Maiden switches setups every
month, while Cinders starts a new show every five weeks.



Ackerman, on the other hand, doesn’t plan on changing her layout
quite so quickly. For her, the revolving art display of the gallery-store
is its customers.



"I feel like all the pieces of art should be together because
they complement each other," said Ackerman. "The people
that come in complement that, too. Especially, I think, because,
with clothes, you can even make yourself a piece of art."

 

Mandate of Heaven is located at 347
Grand St. between Havemeyer and Marcy Avenue in Williamsburg.
For store hours and more information, call (917) 657-6908 or
visit the Web site www.mandateofheavenclothing.com.



Maiden, Brooklyn is located at 252 Grand St., between Driggs
Avenue and Roebling Street, in Williamsburg. For store hours
and more information, call (718) 384-1967 or visit the Web site
www.maidenbrooklyn.com.



Cinders Gallery is located at 103 Havemeyer St., between Hope
and Grand streets, in Williamsburg. For store hours and more
information, call (718) 388-2311 or visit the Web site www.cindersgallery.com.