![]() One year she traveled 21 weeks out of 52 to shows, retailers and factories. Moving seven times in seven years as the enterprise outgrew previous spaces was not easy. Growing such a huge business has not been without its problems, she says. She knew she had "grown up" in the business, she said, when Neiman Marcus began crediting Pine Cone Hill in their catalogs as its own recognizable label. Selke partners with established shops to sell her products, though she also designs and produces goods for companies like Neiman Marcus and for the Sundance catalog, to sell under their private label. The Home Store, as Selke refers to it, and the Outlet Store (also located at Aspinwell) are the only two retail venues she operates. Selke credits her mother, Mary Jane Emmet, with "instilling an appreciation of antiques, a sense of historical perspective and a lifelong love of flea markets, estate sales and antiquing excursions."Ī sense of humor, an appreciation for color, a love of children, dogs, quirky tchotchkes, and a tolerance for chaos have also contributed to her success, she said. ![]() ![]() Painted Angels gave her an opportunity to do innovative retailing, to learn how to manage a staff and to teach others how to develop a design aesthetic, she said. She came back after her engagement to Whitney Selke (they were married in 1989) and shortly thereafter began managing the Painted Angels decorative-arts store on North Street in Pittsfield for Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick. Stints in a training program at Saks Fifth Avenue, copy writing for Conran's, and doing product-development for clients such as the Museum of American Folk Art stood her in good stead when she returned to the Berkshires. Though she grew up in the Berk-shires, she lived for a time in New York City after her studies at the University of Massachusetts and the Fashion Institute of Technology, from which she graduated with dual majors in textile science, fashion buying and merchandising. Selke says she built on a solid foundation of academics, work experience and enthusiasm for decorative arts. How does anyone make the leap from sewing on a dining table at home to heading a multimillion-dollar business? She expects the total building investment will be about $3.7 million. This, says Selke, "will be its final home." With 250,000 square feet, she says, they will plenty of room to expand. Now a multimillion-dollar business, all the companies are being located in May to the former Interprint plant on Peck's Road in Pittsfield. is the umbrella for three separate companies - Pine Cone Hill (bedding and sleep items in 1994), Dash & Albert (rugs in 2003) and Potluck Studios (tableware in 2002) - she has put together since she started sewing orders at home 13 years ago Bulletin boards host colorful pages, many torn from catalogs and magazines advertising her creative designs.īut Selke herself is a calm island amidst all the visual stimulus, though she, too, is brimming with ideas, projects and plans for her eponymous company.Īnnie Selke Co. PITTSFIELD Annie Selke's office is brimming with textiles, lined on shelves, spilling from baskets, piled on tables.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |