Whether it’s hand-woven baskets from California or decadent Turkish towels, co-owners Nicole Petsos and Vivian Afrik want to explain how and where each handcrafted piece they sell was created.
That’s the business they’ve been busy building, Workshoppe Chicago, which will officially launch on September 10th.
Pop-up stores are no stranger to Evanston – as seen in galleries like the Artem Pop-Up Gallery on Sherman Avenue and those hosted by Evanston Made.
Credit: Alexis Rogers
The highlight of Workshoppe will be the way it focuses on the social aspect of shopping. Petsos and Afrik events are held at a client’s home, with invitations encouraging friends to come and browse together.
“Anyone can throw a party – like the old Tupperware party,” Petsos said.
“[We want to see] women encouraging women to buy things,” Afrik said. “When you go shopping with your friends, they know your house and they might say, ‘Oh, this is going to be good.’”
Workshoppe debuted its pieces at a pre-release event on June 18th. The Petsos house, full of internationally acquired products, served as its first showcase. “We just wanted to see what [guests] thought,” Afrik said. “And they loved it.”
“We plan to take [the products] the next day, but then people were calling and emailing and saying [that they] I wish I had bought more,” adds Petsos. “People have been shopping every day since then.”
In addition to exhibiting merchandise, Afrik and Petsos explain the history of each piece through their relationships with the artists. His presentations are imbued with passion for design and travel. Some of his first connections with artists came from a Senegalese market in the early conceptualization of the business.
“The idea [for Workshoppe Chicago] came because we were talking in the Quad [Indoor Sports] a day about how we always thought of design as a hobby, but never thought of it as a job,” says Petsos. “We talked about this shared passion when we were working out one day. I was driving home and it was like, ‘Pop up stores!’ Like a lamp. So I call her and she says, ‘Let’s do this.’ Thank God, because her mother was in Senegal.”
Through FaceTimes with artisans halfway around the world, Petsos and Afrik forged their first alliances. Then came artisans from Denmark, California, Ohio, Uganda and others. This web of communication and international trade is important for co-owners.
Credit: Alexis Rogers
“I like to travel,” says Afrik. “When I travel, I love shopping. For me, it’s the heart of any community you visit, because that’s where that culture is.”
Petsos and Afrik believe that, in addition to being functional and sustainable, Workshoppe must represent a cohesive aesthetic. Although the founders and their products come from all over the world, they were careful to select a neutral and striking palette.
“Vivian and I have very different houses and very different styles,” says Petsos, “and it all works in my house and her house.”
“I actually love what we’ve selected, just because we’ve managed to translate the art into a palette that works for a lot of people,” says Afrik. “Often Africans wear vibrant reds and purples, vibrant colors. If you bring it here, people often won’t understand. So bringing this art form and curation in a way that people understand. Here’s something we can do, just because we know our clientele and we know who we’re serving.”
“We’re trying to redefine luxury,” adds Petsos. “Luxury for us doesn’t mean something really expensive or something from a store. But it means for us that something is handmade. We know who made it and what the craft is like.”
While their first pop-up was a smashing success, Petos and Afrik have no plans to set up shop in one location anytime soon.
“Brick and mortar felt very difficult during the pandemic,” says Afrik. “And especially at the age of our kids, but a pop-up store and being able to see these things in a house was very important to us.”
She added: “Do we want to do brick and mortar at the end of this? Absolutely. But that will come with time. Haste is not in our personalities.”
“And continue to spotlight artists – not just from around the world,” says Petsos, “but from [Evanston] because there are some really amazing artists here.”
Until launch, find more information on Instagram @workshoppechicago or the online store.
