There are many lovely boutique shops in and around LA that specialize in selling handmade goods which can accentuate any home. For this month’s interview, I’d like to share The Arc, owned by Tiffany Payne Malkin and the unique mission and purpose of her shop.
The Arc is a storefront, studio and online space that is home to a meticulously chosen collection of refined, handmade goods from around the globe focusing on cultural and traditional modes of making. They are particularly passionate about women makers and entrepreneurs. They have everything from exquisite decorative objects for the home to one-of-a-kind estate jewelry. Their focus is on interior design and exceptional gifts for friends, family, and businesses.
JH: Who or what inspired you to build (for lack of a better word) The Arc?
TPM: My inspiration began with a curiosity and interest in how time periods and cultures express themselves through an object, methods of making as well as conscious consumerism. I have long been inspired by the women in my life who are talented artists and wanted to create a company that would function as a platform for supporting, collaborating and sharing work and ideas with the world.
This is what has become the heartbeat of The Arc, in articulating an avenue through which we can surround ourselves with objects and expressions of story, design, the artist hand and beauty in our daily lives effortlessly and delightfully. We love to have fun with it and not get too serious!
JH: Who did you have in mind as your client when developing your brand?
TPM: People who love to create meaningful beauty in their lives and the lives of those around them. We wanted to appeal to those who don’t want mass produced goods, love design, the discovery of cultures, and conversation pieces.
JH: How do you source your goods?
TPM: Sourcing goods is an ongoing journey deriving from a lifetime of travel, research, exploration, and discovery! My background is in Art Direction, Production Design, and Art History, so that along with a personal passion for how I collect for myself is how I’ve developed my sourcing mechanisms. My knowledge of designs, techniques, and objects specific to particular countries and having many talented, creator friends has been instrumental in our selection too. Lastly, the parameters with which we create the collection also largely informs how we source in that, while we welcome everyone, our collection focuses on the handcrafted and in large part consists of objects made by women. I often select brands based on their mission, resources, and quality of materials or ingredients.
JH: What products do you feel you sell the most of and why?
TPM: Primarily it is home goods. Our home pieces sell the most to interior designers because we provide objects that inspire their clients. Our vintage and estate pieces are loved as well because they are one of a kind and come from such unique eras, such as our Viking wedding rings from the 9th-10th century. This is one of the reasons why our clients rely on us when shopping for unique touches to bring into their interiors or when searching for gifts for the people in their life.
JH: What was the biggest challenge in starting this type of business?
TPM: The biggest challenge was to take the leap of faith in a loved idea!
JH: What type of goods do you feel are the most important to enrich the house and home?
TPM: Goods that are useful, beautiful and create a conversation about an artist, culture or place in the world due to their unique qualities.
JH: What’s next for The Arc, and where do you hope it will be in 10 years?
TPM: We pride ourselves on having unique goods and the element of surprise and discovery in our collection, but we are currently working on The Arc Essentials – collaborations, creations, and consistent products evolving that our clients can return to on an ongoing basis. We also launched The Arc Sessions with my talented friend, Feng Shui consultant Meghan Wallace James and are currently planning the next event in our store. Our newsletter will let everyone know when the next gathering of our passionate community will be! Building and expanding our unique gifting services as we head into the holiday season is where we will offer a selection of tastefully designed and packaged gift boxes for clients. In 10 years we hope to have expanded our reach to other cities, established our line of essentials, and enhanced the lives of the many artists and sustainable organizations changing women’s lives in a long-lasting and impactful way.
There is no better time than now to empower women around the globe, so thank you to Tiffany for helping to inspire us all!
You can visit The Arc online here: www.thearcshop.com or their brick and mortar store at 5121 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027.