Kimberley can’t remember a time when she didn’t love the mail. Having moved around a lot when she was younger than email, keeping in touch via letters to pen pals was her norm and yet the thrill of a “good mail day” remains the same for her to this day. Her passion for small businesses and local retail is strong. As is her support of community and great service and of course believing in what you buy and sell… Measure Twice… cut once.
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Thank you for podcasting with NY NOW! We look forward to connecting with you across all our platforms and seeing you in person!
Website: nynow.com
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Kimberley can’t remember a time when she didn’t love the mail. Having moved around a lot when she was younger than email, keeping in touch via letters to pen pals was her norm and yet the thrill of a “good mail day” remains the same for her to this day. Her passion for small businesses and local retail is strong. As is her support of community and great service and of course believing in what you buy and sell… Measure Twice… cut once.
RESOURCES
| NY NOW Podcast Page:
https://nynow.com/podcast
| NY NOW Email Subscription:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/147c19d133dc472cbc83778bcaec0402
| NY NOW Digital Market:
https://nynowdigitalmarket.com
| NY NOW :
https://nynow.com
Thank you for podcasting with NY NOW! We look forward to connecting with you across all our platforms and seeing you in person!
Website: nynow.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ny_now
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nynowmarket
Welcome to the new york now podcast, a modern wholesale market for retailers and specialty buyers seeking diversity and discovery, gathering twice a year in America's design capital New York City. It's where buyers and designers on earth have refreshed and dedicated collection of eclectic lifestyle products.
Amy Loewenberg:Welcome to the new york now buyer spotlight podcast. I'm Amy lowenberg relations and partnership development manager at New York now, and I'll be bringing to you important information, conversations and perspectives from both sides of the aisle. As a past buyer, I surrounded myself with everything stationary and home decor oriented in every medium from paper to cement and I continue to do so to this day. I treasure the relationships I have established, and I relish in the new ones that I make. Be sure to check out my latest podcast at New York now.com slash podcast where I get to share information and introduce our amazing community of retailers, buyers, artists and makers. And don't forget to check out my store tours on Instagram at Amy at NY and o-w. Today I am talking with Kimberley your goods have Measure Twice in cobble Hill Brooklyn. Kimberly can't remember a time when she didn't love the mail. Having moved around a lot when she was younger than email. keeping in touch via letters to pen pals was the norm. Her first stationery memory is of a mustard yellow lined notepad with three brown bubble letters across the top K. She has since expanded her taste and style just a bit from grade school. But the thrill of a good mail day remains the same from early days at a letterpress studio, adding both wholesale and retail management experience to manufacturing and custom printing expertise with valuable stops along the way at training company cakes paper eight and her previous boutique letterbox Kimberly has happily reached the point of using all of it to be a brainstorm and cheerleader at Chrome Canary for her favorite designers and retailers and opening her most recent store measure twice with her husband Zach prior to the pandemic. That was a challenge but one that they took in stride and came out strong. Kimberley is over the moon living in Brooklyn with her husband and thinks New York is just about the best place on Earth. Kimberly, welcome.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Hi, thanks for having me. How are you?
Amy Loewenberg:I am doing well. It is so good to talk to you again.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:You too. Thanks.
Amy Loewenberg:I cannot tell you how serendipitous it was to walk past your yellow measure twice door it's your sweet face inside and sacks.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:It was so nice. Thank you so much to you are so generous and it was so fun to have you
Amy Loewenberg:oh my gosh, I love your store. You know I have to say I knew you opened a store right before the shutdown and I'm really I'm so happy to see that you were able to make it happen. could not have been easy my friend.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:It was not I mean it's everyone's going through. Absolutely. And
Amy Loewenberg:we're we are going to explore that for sure. So let's just get started and let's jump right into your mission statement as I feel like you have been writing this your entire life.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yeah, and we have a behind the cash wrap in the store. We put it right on the wall just because we felt so strongly about it. So I will read it for your listeners. It's fight for independent small business and local retail. Be a good neighbor be charitable value personal service, highlight the creative work of like minded designers and companies. Believe in what you buy and sell. Find a great gift. have a favorite pen send to the perfect card. Take care in what you do be thoughtful measure twice cut one
Amy Loewenberg:I love that.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Sweet
Amy Loewenberg:these are all important credos to live by and some really important reminders to boot hat How did you come up with all that?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:You know what it um, I think it's it's sort of the way Zach and I approach everything. It's it started out like as a personal I don't want to say motto but like a just personal values. And we realized that our careers up until then had sort of been indie, like, you know, I worked in record stores and a letterpress studio in the 90s. I think being like sort of kids of the 90s was sort of the beginning of that. He worked in bookstores, and we were you know, always sort of not, you know, anti corporate or, you know, pro indie, and it came down to that.
Amy Loewenberg:Has there been anyone who's been like a mentor for you or an influencer of sorts? Oh,
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:sure. Yeah. I think every past job I've had, there's been somebody to sort of walk me through what I didn't know. There were a couple people in the beginning. And now I find just because I'm a lot older. Those days.
Amy Loewenberg:I think we all are. We're all a lot older. Then,
Unknown:I think I think it's like a really strong peer, like a professional peer group, which I'm really psyched about. And I did not see that coming. Like, I always thought I was gonna be like the new kid. And now, you know, lo and behold, all these years later, I'm not the new kid anymore. And so it's, you know, it's other buyers, it's other retailers, it's other agencies, it's, you know, you it's people from past jobs. You know, it's, it's a lot of people who've been doing this for a long time and sort of cement, you know, our places in the industry for us. Yeah,
Amy Loewenberg:I mean, I think that's really a talent to be able to take what we need from each experience we have and, you know, strengthen ourselves with it and move on to the next. Yeah. So that's what actually i love about your history is that all the positions that you've held, and everything that you've done, basically allows you to do what you do. So you have a very broad perspective and hands on experience. So was this the original path that you'd seen for yourself?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:It isn't. I've always loved retail and stationary, it had to be stationary. Of course. Of course, of course. For some, I think when I moved to New York, so in the 90s, I lived in Minneapolis, I went to school to U of M and
Amy Loewenberg:you're in Minneapolis.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yeah.
Amy Loewenberg:What years were you there?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Did we not know this about each other
Amy Loewenberg:no we did not
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:All of the 90s
Amy Loewenberg:I moved there in 98. We just kept passing in the night.
Sarah Schwartz:It's gonna say of course, our paths crossed Even then, before we even knew it, I
Amy Loewenberg:knew it.
Unknown:Um, I ya know, I don't know what I was saying. I know. So I moved to New York thinking I was going to like, I loved magazines, I thought I was going to be in publishing. And I and I thought because everyone that moves to New York is sure they're gonna you know, get the job they want. I knew I was gonna work at Martha Stewart. And then didn't obviously she Yeah, that. Pretty sure she did not. Yeah, I just I loved at that time, like blogs were just starting. Remember daily candy was that Oh, totally remember? Um, and I think that's like, right around like Design Sponge started a little bit at that. And yeah, I think I thought I was gonna either be like, some editorial something or like photo styling or something like that. Just because, like everyone in the stationary or wedding industry at that point, just, you know, worship Martha Stewart. Yeah, that's what I thought I was gonna do. And then I ended up getting a job at a French paper boutique in the West Village. And I was like, here we go.
Amy Loewenberg:History. There we go. I totally get it. You probably walked in you were like, took a deep breath and like, paper.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:are my people. Yeah,
Unknown:I get found my people. So I think it's hysterical that we're talking about paths crossing because I think we should let the cat out of the bag. Now that we know that we were two ships that passed in the night in Minneapolis. You and I actually met face to face not divulge how many years ago that was, but we both worked at Kate's paperie store management.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:We sure did.
Amy Loewenberg:We sure did. That place. Yeah. I know. A little moment of a tear rolling down her face.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:You know, you know for New York City in New Yorkers in general, you know, iconic location. Yeah. It was Mecca.
Amy Loewenberg:In its time. It definitely was Yeah. But then we always used to run into each other at the National stationery show and then of course in New York now over the years
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yes,
Amy Loewenberg:so obviously we know you're a paper nerd as I'm on what if anything has evolved for you in in the paper industry going from selling paper to wrapping paper with Chrome Canary to now working with it in your own measure twice location has anything
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:we could have a whole podcast on that? Yeah, we did. Um, you know what? There's a lot of stuff I like Do you remember on the stationery show in particular not New York now. Well, back then it was the NY IGF um, when the stationery show used to be upstairs downstairs like upstairs was like way more professional and formal and corporate and downstairs was like yay, us. Yes,
Amy Loewenberg:I do remember I
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:feel that has changed probably for the better like I don't know that there needed to be that separation but there used to be a you know, these were the kids who were art school kids and then there was like the business quote, like I'm making air quotes the business upstairs. So I'm glad that you know people have made strides in building their businesses to sizes where they they aren't just like doing crafts or you know, yeah. And I also like with I don't know if it's because of that but with that, I think it's become a little bit less formal, the stationery industry, and you know, you can have funny cards with Beyonce on them. Now, right? didn't used to be the case. Although I do miss m I'm not sure how to describe this, I do miss, like, expertise in certain areas. And this might be like the way we don't have a case anymore. Like you guys, the buyers, when you were then you became after you were a store management, you were on the buying team and did amazing things there. Like, I think of your departments and like, the beautiful paper and the sourcing and like, like there was there was some real expertise there that I that isn't as forward I am.
Amy Loewenberg:I think I know what you mean, because there really was a very definitive line between like professional paper and you know, this is themes and let's buy bulk. And let's, here's the bond, and here's this and then you had, you know, kind of this emerging artist which may not have had as a sophisticated aesthetic or knowledge yet, right. So now we kind of have bridged that beautiful medium area where we've got, you know, bold geometrics and amazing printing and, you know, the creativity is just like coming out of the, the, you know, the seams here.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yes. And I think it's more inviting to it's sort of anyone who wants in is in write me a young kid, or you can be an established artist, or you can be like someone just trying stuff out, you can be a writer, and like, someone will print your stuff. You know, there's just a zillion different ways to do it now. And I think the, the, sort of more narrow formality has has lifted a little bit of
Amy Loewenberg:narrow formality.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yeah. Which I'm all about narrow, narrow formality. If I can be British, you know, 100 years ago, I would do that. But But I like that. It's, you know, it's, it's opened up. Let's say that.
Amy Loewenberg:Yeah, I will say that. Yeah. Um, what what advice would you give someone wanting to move in this area?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Oh, boy.
Amy Loewenberg:Yeah, I know.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Do you mean doing trade shows? Or do you mean rapping? Or do you mean owning a store or enter?
Amy Loewenberg:You've done all of it.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yeah.
Unknown:Let's let let's talk about, let's talk about your store.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Okay. Let's do that. But so, you know, what, New York City is so different than the rest of the country? Like I of course, I want to tell people yes, do it. Like you have to jump in, you have to like it's a, it's a leap off a cliff. And hopefully, you know, what you're doing. In New York, though, it's so expensive. So it's a zillion times harder to do it here. Just because, you know, unless you have a million dollars, um, I think there is no shame in paying for education before you do something, whether it's actual classes or learning from conferences, or getting as much as you can out of trade shows like New York now. Or even, um, you know, working in the field for someone else learning how to do it from them and you know, getting your feet wet doing that. There's no shame in that. And it I mean, it can help you know,
Amy Loewenberg:I think that's amazing advice. because really what what I hear more times than not is I have a great product and I want to sell it but yeah, that whole aspect of like how do I run a store?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Right? I think winging it is just is just harder now than it used to be, you know, like, your rent is more and everything costs more and it's it's just harder to do it now. And like forget 2020 like the pandemic is all bets are off in that regard. But yeah, like, learn how to do it first i think is that is step one.
Amy Loewenberg:Learn how to do it. I'm actually writing it down now because I think those are important words.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:That sounds sort of absurdly obvious but um,
Amy Loewenberg:but isn't it surprising about sometimes how you have to be surprisingly obvious?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yes. Also you know, Katie Holmes from proved a product we do well yeah, yeah, I teach paper camp with her when we are in LA again under overlap.
Amy Loewenberg:Another overlap we just did a podcast with her before I know.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Um, so you know, like really like anything you can learn like absorb every single thing, even stuff that you don't think is going to be important you might use five years later and I just like it can't hurt to know more about all different aspects.
Amy Loewenberg:best advice ever. Really, really best advice ever. I like I have to share that I had the most amazing time walking around your store. And gazing at your greeting card wall I have to say it is bananas. So if you haven't been to Kimberly's store, if you're able to you should just so that you can drool over it in person. Of course she'll have to clean up after your drill but it's worth it because it's amazing. Absolutely check out its mass on my Instagram but go to her Instagram and see her beautiful products up close. So you have In extremely, very well thought out assortment of special products.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Oh my gosh, thank you coming from you that is high praise.
Amy Loewenberg:Oh my gosh. Why don't you share a bit more about measure twice and how you came up with its name?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Sure. So we a name is always hard. We've, this is our third store. So we had a store in the West Village right after 911, which was, you know, a very hard time to for anyone to do anything downtown. Um, and then we had a store in Minneapolis for a while and it was called letterbox. And then this one was, you know, we were the sounds silly again. But it had a lot to do with Trump being elected, which I don't even like to say his name anymore because he's gone. But we were like, Zack, and I were just broken and heartsick about it. And everything became, like being careful and being thoughtful, and like taking the time and making the effort, like everything was an extra effort to make sure our values were safe. I know that sounds really dramatic, but we I really meant that. And so naming it measure twice was was in that sort of spirit, like, I don't know, I think it's an old carpentry term, but I learned it from printing measure, measure twice, cut once. And it was, it really just meant like, take the time, make the effort, be thoughtful, and then you know, go forth. And so we wanted that to be how people would approach you know, buying gifts for their friends or picking out stationery or you know, what all the other things that we have at the store. And then we came up with the mission statement. And a friend of ours who was a designer in DC, her name is Song wiser, she runs general design company, she tightened it up a bit for us. And then we were you know, off to the races.
Amy Loewenberg:Well, it looks fantastic behind your cash wrap is a perfect location for it, you walk into your store, and you're immediately you're immediately drawn to read it. And so it's very nice. It is thoughtfully curated just like your store. Well,
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:we we decided early on that we would only have this isn't the greatest retail advice if anyone is in a store. It's not It's not the usual path, we decided we only wanted to sell stuff that we would buy or that we already were interested in, like brands that we already knew or brands that we already like it was it was probably overly authentic.
Amy Loewenberg:No, I I'm gonna correct you. I think that that's actually really good advice. And I think you should step into that light. And I'm going to tell you why. Oh, you need to be passionate about what you do. And being passionate about the products that you sell will only come out in the way you present them. And in the offering that you provide to your consumer. And my hunch is your community, which we'll talk about in a few minutes is so tight and so supportive. I have a feeling that you can probably do no wrong. So just I would say keep keep going girl,
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:like that is very nice to hear. And I love that vote of confidence. Um, I think I think people can get wrapped up in chasing customers. And that's a heart I think 10 years ago, we probably would have been a little bit more keyed into that. But I think we're a little older and a little more tired. And we're like, what we're just stuff that we like, and that that comes out. I mean, I know that from Chrome Canary, like we are aligned the lines on our roster, like I can't sell, I wouldn't be an orange juice rep or you know, like, you know, like, a hardware, like it has to be something that I love. It has to be something that I believe in, it has to be something that you know, I can connect to and you know, invite people into. And that's sort of what we do at the store, I hope.
Amy Loewenberg:Listen, you still need to make smart decisions we all do. No matter what our jobs are whether we have a retail store or not, we still need to make a smart decision. That doesn't mean that you can look at a curated list of potential products to make a decision from
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yes, I am you know, things evolve even we opened in October of 2019 at the end of the month, and so we were really only open for five months before lockdown. And even even in that time, like since we've reopened things have evolved, like categories have grown categories have shrunk, like you just you know, you pay attention to what people are responding to 100%
Amy Loewenberg:I mean, so what was what was some of your biggest lessons learned over 2020? Oh, boy. it was definitely a different path than we had. thought we were gonna take.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:I think everyone can say the same. I will speak for an entire country, your industry. Um, I think everyone had nine more years than they thought they did. And I think hard work and hustle and trying to save what's important to you comes in pretty handy when you're in, you know, Dire Straits like that. I think it's important to I mean, no one would have known to do this because no one Have you ever seen this coming? But I think it's important to know how flexible your business is like how agile are you? Or how quickly can you pivot? Or how, how good are you at brainstorming other stuff? Like, if you back to your What advice would you give, like, if you only know how to not only know, but if you are, you are only skilled in, you know, a few aspects of retail. And this comes along you might not fare as well. And I mean, like who knows, like, like stores that we didn't think were going to go away did in stores that we are shocked that made it that we were perhaps not thinking like, it's you know, all bets are off for 2020 Yeah.
Amy Loewenberg:And and regionally, as you mentioned before, huge impact, you know, depending on where you are in the country,
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:right? Yeah. Yeah.
Amy Loewenberg:So if you knew that 2020 was going to look like this would you have let that deter you from opening your store?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Um, you know, I have two answers to that. One, uh, if I knew I was gonna have to be exhausted all the time and not have a staff and work seven days a week and figure out how to do things on the fly, probably, like, we're pretty good at that we're, we can roll with those kinds of punches. had anyone factored into it? How heavy and then heartbreaking it was going to be, and having to work through that. That's a that's a hard to balance or hard to reconcile. So on that, like the emotional side of it. I don't know.
Amy Loewenberg:Yeah, I think it's like, I almost almost feel like that was an unfair question to ask you. Because, you know, looking back at something, you're, you're looking past it now. And you're in it. But you know, there's so many times where like, the work drives you when you're in a really tumultuous time at home personally, you are perfect doesn't matter. Yeah, the work drives you and it kind of can carry you through.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yes. You know what I that's it's so interesting that you you phrase it that way because that momentum right now I still feel like we're in it right now. We're still in that go, go go go go except, like holidays over and the show is digital. You know what I mean? Like the goat like the go, go Go isn't the same. Go go go. Except it's work. Now. We're in grant. It's ingrained. It's a strange, it's a strange time. It's a strange feeling.
Amy Loewenberg:It is. But it's also really unique modifications, both personally and professionally that have to be made, right?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:I gotta tell you, I feel like we're all saving our own industry, like, like each of us. And it's like a marvelous and glorious thing to to witness. Yeah, it's, but we're like, we're all I think I, I was talking to Katie Wilson from the good twin about, like, digging out of the Grand Canyon with our pinkies or, you know, something, something like that. And we all are, and we're all still doing it. It's It's nuts. And it's amazing. Right? It's amazingly nuts. And tragic. And all the other. I mean, we all know, like, it's, you know, yeah,
Amy Loewenberg:yeah, we do know. And I think part of the focus that I like to at least present on this platform is what what good is coming out? Where is the growth? Where are the positive surprises that we've encountered, because we do know what 2020 was about, and we're all relating to it on our level. But for you, you know, you talk about modifications, your business categories have expanded, we understand that. But what are and what have you experienced? that were That was unexpected, and good?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Sure, unexpected and good. Um, wow. Though. Let's start with community support. Our neighbors have been just incredible in friends. Like, it's not just, you know, immediate neighbors. everybody understood how hard it was. And everybody understood how much help everybody needed and everyone pitched in. And it was so awesome. To see that and to feel that and to, you know, just be supported every day, like people come in still everyday and say, how are you doing? And they mean it? Yeah. And they're there deliberately. It's, it's fantastic. I think, you know, people were willing to shop from Instagram and do like, what can we do for you, like, can do we just buy a gift card? Like it wasn't traditional? Like, I need some presents for my children? Or, you know, yep, it was what do you need and then we were allowed to tell them and it was pretty cool to do that. And it was so touching and shouldn't be surprising and it's right up our alley. Everyone turned back to stationary right? When we were locked down the deliveries that we so we did you know shop from our Instagram feed and we did a bunch of tailored you know, sort of personal shopping things. And we sold so many cards, and everyone just wanted to reach out to all of their people and it was amazing and then in like from that the Part designers followed suit with more funny like snarky, quarantined, jokey, kind of things like levity needed needed levity, and lots more like really poignant care and concern categories about we have to hold each other through this and carry each other. It's no, it's remarkable. The human spirit, let's
Amy Loewenberg:go that was that that was an unexpected surprise above the level or in spirit that.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Absolutely.
Amy Loewenberg:Yeah, I hear you. And I've heard these stories and it like it warms my heart and I, I agree with you, 100%. I really do. I know that you have, as you mentioned, a very supportive community. And I know that Fort St is packed with a multitude of international offerings, like from food and restaurants, to the stores, family run businesses, full of traditions. Yeah, I've been there for like over half a century. Yeah. I felt like I saw more stores opened then closed in your area. But yeah, have we lost a bit or are you seeing new growth? Are you good?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:You know, what, we are seeing new growth too. I again, New York City is so different, like neighborhood to neighborhood is so different. Um, we are fortunate in in obvious ways, Capitol Hill and Carroll gardens and you know, sort of the brownstone, Brooklyn area love it is pretty wealthy, and has been less touched maybe by COVID tragedy than some others in New York. And Port St is now I don't know if your listeners know cobble Hill and Carroll gardens used to be an old Italian neighborhood and has sort of gentrified a little bit over the last 50 years but there's it's really family owned. It's really like small business local. And we have like there's a new coffee shop Octavia coffee down the street, and there's a new super darling salon called wink that's across the street. Yeah, like we look, we lost a little bit. There was some businesses that didn't make it. But there there are some it's a strong foothold. There's some good anchors, books or magic, you know, yep. drives a lot, lot. Lot. And we've just been really fortunate. There's that, you know, there we have friends that have had businesses there for 20 years. Our neighbor, House of hands is a really great clothing store. Michael opened, I think a month before we did so we've sort of been on parallel paths. Yeah, it's just interesting to see people stick with it, and be supported. And it's hard every single day and awesome.
Amy Loewenberg:Hard and awesome. And yeah. Sounds like there's a good supportive vibe going on there. Yes.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Knocking wood on that.
Amy Loewenberg:Yeah. I hear you knocking wood I'll knock too. Let's talk about your future. Do you have any sort of future plan? Are you in the immediate zone? Are you able to look forward? What do you think?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:sure I think there's there's a couple different things. And I again, I'm in a weird situation, because I have two jobs. So Chrome Canary,
Amy Loewenberg:that you're not busy at all? Is that what I'm hearing time on your hands?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:And we're like we're a month away from Valentine's
Amy Loewenberg:all of my like card buying days just back in my face. Right? Um,
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:well, let's let's talk about the show a little bit. So yeah, Beck's is like good things that happen like people, buyers, adjusted very quickly, everyone's down with the digital shows. Everyone's like, how do we do this? How are we like, no one wanted to miss a step. And that's pretty great. Um, so we are looking forward to Chrome Canary, the rep agency that Kareena Marie owns. We're looking forward to shows coming back in person. So yeah, we would love to have a physical summer show that's going to be we're all going to be vaccinated, and we're so happy to see each other and hog in the aisles and buy gorgeous stuff and sell gorgeous stuff. So we're looking forward to that. And repping is evolving to like, I think that landscape is I think we're we're sort of having a how to how does the physical and the digital sort of work together? Yeah. So we have a lot on our plates to sort of reset this year with that. And then with the shop, you know, I think we're just hoping for balance, like, we just want things to settle into what we had planned for last year, that obviously didn't happen. And like just some steady growth, we're going to try some new brands, we're going to try some new categories, like just, you know, regular sort of progressive thinking retail stuff.
Amy Loewenberg:I love an exploration of new categories I love it
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:well. And we have to do that. I mean, the place we see that is at shows. Yeah, right.
Amy Loewenberg:Absolutely.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Yeah. So you know, doesn't mean we're going to try and have five stores. No is not? Are we going to try and make the one that we have right now? Awesome and better and nicer? And, you know, all of those things? Yes, it does. So we'll see.
Amy Loewenberg:You know, just to jump back on something you said about rep groups and just the evolution, you know, I think, I think rep groups can be challenged at times, right, especially with the way businesses you have people that sometimes go direct to the source or direct to the designer, there is an element of rep groups that I just want to do a little call out for. And that's the amazing amount of information that you get from your reps and a rep group. So as buyers are busier, and busier, and not able to do the kind of research that they need to. Rep groups are an amazing resource of information about not just what's selling, but a projection into the trends. And so I just wanted to put a little call out there because yeah,
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:no, thank you, we, it's, I, I will speak for our own rep group and sing our own praises. And I will talk about it as, as a buyer also, like, I want someone reminding me, I want someone in my ear, I want someone pointing things out that I might miss, I want to be able to, like be an assistant for somebody and take care of those things, take those things off their plates, help tailor their card walls, like all of those things, you know, you can't get from a website. So we're we are, you know, pro pro pro Rep. And I am also pro rep in my buying habit.
Amy Loewenberg:I mean, you're carrying two different jobs. I mean, the, the perspective you have from every single angle is I mean, I can't see how it doesn't help you.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:I was really does. It really does. And and you know what a shout out to all the New York accounts, like all of the retailers that have been our, you know, working with us for the past 10 years, like we couldn't, you know, we couldn't do it without them. And I've learned so much from them. And I mean, it just makes for a better city, it makes for a better product design, like, I mean, it hits all those hits all of those spots.
Amy Loewenberg:Yeah. And you know, and we're working as hard as we can to make sure that we not only create a platform for exhibiting vendors in this time, but for our buyers to come across our new emerging and our you know, faithful friends who exhibited, you know, times have changed. And we do have to create these these different platforms. But what's super, super exciting, is in August, when we do get to see her is now you we have the strength of both worlds together. And that is, in my perspective, like where we're moving with retail is we are clearly not going to move away from the virtual right. Let's, let's let's carry it with us. And let's see how each each each aspect makes the other one stronger. Absolutely.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:It really does like, for having to go through 2020 it really it really puts a, like an instant spotlight on your weak spots. Yeah, not just weak spots, but things that you're missing, like things you maybe didn't think of, or things that you didn't have as part of your business model the first time, right. He does say, Oh, I gotta shore that up, or I need a band aid there. Or I have to develop this or I don't know anything about this. I have to go find out. Yeah, all those things. And I like the shows as like sort of a dating app. Like you're a matchmaker, like you eat dating. Like you put you you connect brands and buyers. Yeah. I mean, that's, that's what it is like, it's your you are making that you're providing that connection.
Amy Loewenberg:We are we are just creating relationships
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:that are so important.
Amy Loewenberg:They are vitally important. Yeah. Speaking of important, is there anything that I forgotten? Is there anything that you'd like to add?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:I don't know. You know, support small business shop local look for brands that you know, are? Oh, you know, what, um, I think 2020 also provided us with this is just a little PS provided a window into representation and inclusivity that I think a lot of us were being very lazy about, and I'm pretty psyched about that. And I think we should keep that top of mind going forward.
Amy Loewenberg:Okay. I support that. I'm glad you said that. Um, how do we connect with you, Miss Kimberly?
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Well, um, if you need to get ahold of us in a rep capacity, Chrome canary.com and Karina, we all we all have Instagram feeds that are like our name of each territory. It's like Kimberly Canary and then measure twice is measure twice. shop.com and we are measured toy shop on Instagram.
Amy Loewenberg:Great Instagram feed.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Thank you.
Amy Loewenberg:Yeah, yeah. If If you are not following her, you should So so go pull out your phone and buy right now. Yeah. Oh my gosh, Kimberly, I want to thank you for taking this time with us today. Your path is not one that's foreign to many of us and sometimes just caring about one's trials and tribulations, along with those hidden surprises. And we're seeing creativity that presents itself to us.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:It's so cool. You're doing this highlighting work. I love it so much. Well,
Amy Loewenberg:thank you, I
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:have a really good piece of New York now like this is, you know what I mean? Like, it's an extra, it's a perk, it's fun content. It's Yeah,
Amy Loewenberg:I'm having a great time doing it. Because for me, it really is all about the relationship. And just like you, I have played on both sides of the aisle, and I understand them. And I know that it's the relationship that's going to continue to build retail back to its new place, wherever that is. Yeah. You know, and just and just remember that, you know, what we do and what we go through what you've gone through and what you've spoken of. You know, it shows your own strength and you know, you you are inspiring others. And so I just want to say that you inspire me, my friend. Oh, thank you so much for for sharing this time with us.
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:Of course, it's absolutely My pleasure.
Amy Loewenberg:And with that, I say adieu
Kimberley Yurkiewicz:goodbye. Thanks.
Dondrill Glover:Thank you for listening to the New York now podcast. Make sure to tune in weekly for engaging and insightful conversations, touching on the most relevant topics facing our community today. visit nynow.com to learn more about our market and how you can join in on the conversation.