The Introduction: Wilson & Willy’s

Secret Holiday Why Not Banner for W&W | Leatherworks for W&W Basket | Susan Connor Pillow | Fredericks & Mae Tabletop Foosball | Fort Standard Bottle Opener | Polka Dot Club for W&W Rattle | Fringe & Fettle Tray | Beka Block + Wind & Willow Home for W&W Blocks | Leatherworks for W&W Planter

I’m super excited to share an agency project I’ve been working on for the last several months:
Wilson & Willy’s!

Wilson & Willy’s is a general store focused on thoughtfully made products for men, women, and the home. The brick and mortar location will open in the North Loop of Minneapolis (conveniently located across the street from my creative co-working space, The COMN) in early 2015 but the webshop launched last month.

I met the owner and founder, John Mooty, early in 2014 and we quickly connected over favorite manufacturers and websites. While working as the Design Director of Faribault Mill, John was motivated to create a retail concept that would engage consumers and manufacturers to innovate, collaborate and support one another. At the same time, I was looking to get my hands (a little) dirty. I’ve loved working with various brands and small shops to develop products, build merchandising strategies and recruit new brands over the last year but wanted an opportunity to work through the entire process and see what I could do and what I could learn – new challenges are always a good thing! Since this summer I’ve been a part of Team W&W – specifically focusing merchandise strategy and product development but also doing a little bit of a lot of things… as one does in a small business!

The last several months have been crazy for the team – exciting, stressful, fun, and tedious. Creating an assortment, developing several exclusive collaborations and products, building an e-commerce site, pop-ups, photography, social media, fixture selection and store buildout – I think a lot of people think that owning a shop involves going to market and then merchandising a beautiful space, but there is SO much more! This obviously wasn’t news to me, but actually experiencing it has increased my (already quite high) appreciation for small business owners and people who do it all on their own and taught me so much. The most important aspect of any business is the team – and I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of the amazing team John has built.

W&W launched with a small assortment for the holidays… and I feel so lucky to have gotten the chance to work with so many of my favorite brands! I’ve shared some of my very favorite pieces from the shop here – but please visit the site and let me know what you think! Also, be sure to follow Wilson & Willy’s on Instagram or Facebook for a Procrastinators Gift Guide and some really great followers-only discounts this week only!

Hackwith Design House for W&W (an incredible collection using selvage material from Faribault Woolen Mill) | Maison du Soir Pajamas

PLEASE NOTE: W&W is a client of TAE Agency but I am not required to share client work on this site. I’m proud of what we’ve built and believe you’ll love the brands we’ve assembled!