How did City & State start?
City & State was started out of a love for craft and the emergence of the Maker Movement bringing the essence of small business and handmade back into the retail space. Our owner, Lisa, had developed a love for finding amazing quality gifts for those in her own life and wanted to expand that to help others do the same. What originally started as a retail-only space, soon developed into a full Coffee and Retail shop concept by the time we opened our doors in 2015. The two are joined by an emphasis on quality, craft, and passion.
Can you tell us a memorable story from a customer of yours ?
The Wooden Sound System’s are probably the single item in our shop that people are drawn to and ask "what is this" The sense of discovery as they put their phone in and play music is always fun to watch! In a near-daily occurrence, it's always entertaining to watch people enjoy the product and to also see what music they choose to play through the speaker!
How do you decide which products to sell in your store?
Our owner Lisa is still the primary buyer for the shop and uses her keen eye for designs and gifting to help choose what goes in the shop. She tries to find unique and fun gifts for everyone. Another key part of helping us decide what to carry in the shop comes from getting to know our customers and what they want, who they're buying for, and what they find the most intriguing and exciting. It's a little bit of science and a lot of intuition.
How did you discover Bitti Gitti?
We found Bitti Gitti in the early days of the Faire Wholesale marketplace. We spend hours upon hours combing through Faire to find the absolute best and we were immediately intrigued by Bitti Gitti. The concept was simple enough, and a great giftable, but it was the stunning design and handmade element that really sold us on the product!
