Michelle Hespe

Homewares Retail, Italian Style: Galleria Fiaba

Michelle Hespe checks out one of Italy’s finest retail stores — Galleria Fiaba — which was one of six Global Honorees at the 2014 gia Global Innovation Awards held in Chicago. The spectacular façade and the name of Galleria Fiaba, which is situated in the historical center of Vittoria, Sicily, reflects the overall store’s approach to retail: to be like a gallery showcasing…

A Milestone Win: Lakeland

Michelle Hespe catches up with Matthew Canwell, Director of Buying for Lakeland in the United Kingdom – one of six 2014 Global Honorees at the gia Global Innovation Awards in Chicago. It all began back in 1964, in a humble garage in the United Kingdom. In that garage, a family started selling plastic freezer bags, and the demand for the bags gradually grew. By the 70’s, the…

Cooking Up a Dream: Kookwinkel Bianca Bonte

Michelle Hespe catches up with Bianca Bonte, the managing director and founder of Kookwinkel Bianca Bonte, and discovers a charmingly rustic, modern cookware store in the Netherlands that pays homage to its surroundings. At the 2014 Global Innovation Awards (gia) held in Chicago in March, Kookwinkel Bianca Bonte, a store lovingly run by Bianca Bonte in the city of Oostburg…

Aussie Nomads: TheSuperCool

Michelle Hespe catches up with the dynamic Australian duo behind TheSuperCool – a pop-up store that is growing some roots – in cyberspace and soon on the ground. It was one of six retail stores from around the world to become a Global Honoree at the 2014 gia Global Innovation Awards in Chicago. The reputation of the husband-and-wife team, Kate Vandermeer and David Nunez (aka…

From Little Things, Big Things Grow: Kastner & Öhler

Michelle Hespe speaks to the team behind Kastner & Öhler, one of the six impressive gia Global Honorees from the 2014 Global Innovation Awards held in Chicago. Kastner & Öhler (K & Ö) has an incredibly rich history behind their exceptionally modern 40,000 square-meter department store. The store willalso always hold a special place in retail history, being…

Casa Palacio – A Palatial Approach

Casa Palacio Santa Fe has a seriously impressive lineage, to its seriously great sense of style. The store’s parent company, department store El Palacio de Hierro, opened its doors in 1888 and has expanded to now operate 13 stores. Casa Palacio is the high-end spin-off store, stocking everything from furniture to designer objects, linen, tableware and fashion. They also offer…

The Color Game

Michelle Hespe chats with Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute’s Executive Director, about her view on the cycles of color and how to decide on what is best for your business. It was once commonly said that fashion, and thus trends and colors, had a 10-year cycle, but in today’s world, that’s really no longer the case. As a global consciousness of the environment and…