If you've noticed that Hampden's Avenue seems a little less bright this week that may be because the Shine Collective has left its long-time home on 36th Street for a new space in the Clipper Mill Complex.
"I know it seems illogical for a retailer to move from a retail street. But, really, for us I think it was more that we get the opportunity to use this beautiful space. It's rare in the city and still within a mile of the avenue," says Campbell.
The new store, located at 2010 Clipper Park Road, in a former artist's loft behind Woodberry Kitchen, will enable owners Jamie Campbell and Melissa Kirby, to do more.
The boutique's new home has huge windows in an area surrounded by nature � a rarity in any city. It has "super high ceilings" and much more space that will allow Campbell and Kirby to better showcase their designer accessories and clothing. "It's a beautiful part of the city. There're train tracks and there's a river over there and trees everywhere. The architecture of the Mill is so inspiring."
"What made me feel this was the right thing is all the talented people that came out of the woodwork to help us. Carpenters and artists and friends that said, 'you guys are doing something special here. We want to be a part of it, too. It was really kind of amazing," she says.
"We also wanted to shift our focus a little bit toward our website. We came to this crossroads. We have the store. We have a following, but we don't have the right kind of space to work on the photography and the product and the website. We're building backwards in a way, forming our headquarters and building out from there," Campbell explains.
Though the shop has moved from a rowhouse to a loft-like space, shoppers will find a sort of bohemian and homey �lan at the new location.
"It was a rather rough artist studio that we've softened up with paint, our color scheme and adding some homey touches to it. We put in a mantel we found at Houseworks. It feels like a living room in somebody's loft apartment. I had a friend to Venetian plaster in our dressing rooms. It's really nice and doesn't feel cold like a modern loft. It's kind of funky," she says.
The location is not the only thing that is changing at Shine. Campbell says that they will continue to offer a wide variety of accessories and jewelry, adding new jewelry and bag lines in the spring.
"We're definitely going to focus more on key pieces instead of volume. We're going to keep some of the clothing lines, but shift to focus on dresses and pieces you can add to your wardrobe that are going to be essential but not basic."
Shine will no longer carry denim. "We're finding that our customers really want a top or a dress that no one else has. We want to stay on our original course trying to find pieces you can't find anywhere else."
"We really appreciate how far along Hampden has come. [Melissa] set started a new thing. She was the first person to open a boutique like this in Hampden. She grew out of her old space on Roland [Avenue] and moved to the new space on the Avenue. Now we feel like we're changing and growing again. This is just the next step in our evolution. We like being pioneers in that way."
Source: Jamie Campell, Shine Collective
Writer: Walaika Haskins