Introducing Bespoke HTX
'Artisan outpost' with handmade goods slated for hot Heights mixed-use development
Even before it opens later this summer, Heights Mercantile looks poised to become the neighborhood’s premier location for destination shopping. Already slated to be the first Houston location of big names like trendy eyeglass supplier Warby Parker and clothing store Marine Layer, co-owners Steve Radom and Evan Katz tell CultureMap they’ve added another boutique that will have shoppers buzzing.
Bespoke HTX will be an “artisan outpost” where customers can see and touch handmade goods created by Texas-based craftspeople, owners Morgan and Andy Sommer tell CultureMap. The business partners (and married couple) are making the leap from the corporate world to retail with the store, slated to open in mid-to late-August in a space on the property that Radom had designated for a pop-up shop.
“Basically, we both have professional-type jobs that are not in retail. We’re big fans of handcrafted goods and the arts in Houston,” Andy Sommer says. “We heard about the retail concept of partnering with local artisans and makers to give them a platform and a place to market their wares and give a voice to people who don’t have a platform.”
Think of Bespoke HTX as a real world Etsy shop without the frustrations of having to search through dozens of similar-looking products for the right item, and with the ability to see and touch merchandise before purchasing it. The store also offers its customers the advantage of having a selection of goods that’s been curated by an owner who’s excited about them. Morgan says that she and her husband have already signed on 60 vendors and hope to open with as many as 100.
“It sounds like a lot, but it’s so many different kinds of products there’s not a lot of redundancy among the vendors,” Morgan Summer says. Later, she adds, “We just really want to drive the point that we want to support our local artists and bring awareness to them. It’s a tight knit community, and we want to be a part of that.”
As the photos above demonstrate, Bespoke’s inventory will range from leather goods to ceramics to wall coverings to musical instruments. Rather than display the products on racks, the duo plan to position them in more of a gallery format that shows them in context where consumers can appreciate their quality.
“We focus heavily on the storytelling behind the product,” Andy Sommer says. “We want people to connect with these vendors and feel like there’s a relationship there.”