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By my account, it’s not fall until I’ve watched You’ve Got Mail, Nora Ephron’s ’90s film adaptation of the 1930s Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László. It’s archetypal David versus Goliath: The quintessential Upper West Side bookshop, The Shop Around the Corner, waning to the big-bad Fox Books, purveyor of discounted books and coffee to-go. Nearly 30 years after the movie's release, its storyline feels as relevant as ever (AOL chatroom notwithstanding), especially when it comes to the fight for independent, personality-driven shops. For experts on specialty retail, there are few sources better than Kate Rheinstein Brodsky, the proprietor of beloved Upper East Side institution KRB.
Much like Kathleen Kelly, the film’s shopkeeper lead played by Meg Ryan, Brodsky inherited her retail prowess from her mother, the late design legend Suzanne Rheinstein. KRB is an exuberant trove of vintage and antique furniture masterfully mingled with contemporary artisan works, and today, at its 10th anniversary, Brodsky shares her secrets to retaining employees, the challenges facing small retailers today, and what she’s learned about business from three generations of shopkeepers.
Mel Studach: When you opened in 2014, did you feel there was a void in the market?
Kate Rheinstein Brodsky: I felt like there was enough space for another voice. I do not have the extraordinary skill set that a designer needs to do interior design—it is a high skill set, and I deeply admire that. But I see potential in everything and love to put together a moment. Getting to convey that enthusiasm to clients—it's one of the reasons I love being a shopkeeper.
Who have been your retail inspirations?
My number one inspiration was my mother’s shop, Hollyhock, which she had for 30 years in Los Angeles. I really enjoyed the rhythm and the pace of the day and interactions with the customers. She had always done a wonderful job of servicing both a trade customer and a retail customer. I was also extremely inspired by Treillage, Bunny Williams and John Rosselli's long-standing store. My grandmother also owned an antiques store in New Orleans called Flair.
What is the best business advice you’ve derived as a third-generation shopkeeper?
To start slow, which came from my mother. To pick an item, commit to it, and build from there. Instead of having two-dozen artists, pick three and support them in a deeper way. You can build loyalty and trust with the consumer knowing that you will have the product that they want and need when the time comes for them to buy it. And I want the artists to feel supported. It’s exciting to show people their work and to have them know that they can always come back and see [more]. We’re getting in a new round of works on paper by Mary Nelson Sinclair next month, and we have a list of people anticipating the collection.
What mistakes do you see retailers make when it comes to merchandising?
You have to show people how to use things in a visually exciting way. Maybe that means putting the mirror that you want to feature over a console, then putting wilder lamps and lampshades on the console than you ever would in someone's house because it feels a little exciting. It needs a bit of drama. Amp it up 20% more than you would do in your actual home—it should have more zhuzh, but not be over the top.
That’s great advice. The consumer will likely buy the beige sofa, but why not show it in tomato red?
Exactly! The drama makes it enticing to shop.
Is my math correct that your youngest child would’ve been a newborn when you first opened KRB? How did you do it?
I had my third child about a year after the shop opened. It was with the help of a lot of really wonderful people—and sometimes I failed. That’s the honest answer. Around that same time, I moved to a much larger space, tripling the size of the shop, and I had to rethink and restructure how I ran it. I hired more full-time help, I added inventory, and I changed my original business plan. I couldn’t count on myself as a person who could take shifts because I had a newborn and was no longer reliable. I hired a manager for the shop, and seven and a half years later, she’s now the director of KRB—and the reason I can have a shop [while being a mom to] three children.
Those are massive leaps for a young company. Would you have done it any differently looking back?
No, I needed to start small. It gave me confidence to know that I could grow it. If I started that big, I think I would have failed. When I moved to the larger store, I really focused on carrying stock, which is a deeply unpopular way to run a business these days—it’s very anachronistic. But in a town where people want things yesterday, having stock and being able to get them to them immediately is appealing. I think that that is one of the reasons we've been able to build a loyal following with interior designers and architects.
Ten years in, what are the biggest retail challenges you face today?
Rising costs are always the number one. And how you manage those costs with passing as little as possible on to the consumer. Retaining my staff is one of the most important things. From a business standpoint, turnover is really expensive. I need people to be into the pieces we sell as much as I am, and I’m lucky to have a team who buys in. It’s important to me to retain them—and that’s another cost. Cost of goods. I don’t import huge amounts but the things that I import, I’m very thoughtful about. And rent is expensive in New York.
What’s worked for you when it comes to retaining skilled employees?
Be honest and ask them what they want. I know that sounds silly, but the thing that might make the difference between them staying or leaving might not be the benefit you think you’re offering. Maybe it’s a different type of flexibility or time off or a reconsideration of a role. One of the things I've learned the hard way in 10 years of business is that I don’t actually know what they want. I need them to tell me.
This interview has been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.
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