Circa 1332 was a menswear boutique and clothing line owned by the Granger family that specialized in American made clothing, footwear, accessories, and grooming products. The father store, Granger Owings (G.O.), is the longest running custom suiting store in Columbia, SC.
I worked alongside the owner, DR Granger, to develop the Circa 1332 brand, establishing the store as the region’s go-to source for high-quality denim, classic men's haircuts, and edgy bespoke clothing.
TRUNK SHOW
Raleigh Denim / CAUSE & EFFECT
Each season Circa 1332 would host several special and reoccurring events from monthly art shows to trunk shows as a way to provide more value to our customers, strengthen vendor relationships, improve our top of mind awareness, and as a way to evaluate up and coming brands before we stocked them in our store.
We partnered with Raleigh Denim and Cause & Effect to host an event at Circa 1332. Customers that attended this event were able to get their jeans hemmed by the owners of Raleigh Denim with their vintage Union Special chain-stitching machine. Raleigh Denim also gave our customers advanced access to their next season's line which expanded their product offerings to shirts and jackets. Customers also were able to have custom, one-of-a-kind belts made by the owner of Cause & Effect while they shopped. I also made custom leather NATO and ZULU watch straps for our customers at the event.
Dinner Party at Bourbon
Bourbon is a high-end southern restaurant and bourbon specialty bar. I set up a dinner party to give our clients exclusive and advanced access weeks before their grand opening. At this event our clients were able to sample a variety of rare small batch bourbons and one-off dishes.
Each week, I created new displays and remodeled the store layout. I worked with DR to source vintage nic-nacs, furniture, and accoutrement to decorate our store as well as the design of custom display racks and furniture that blended rustic materials like salvaged wood and industrial materials like diamond stamped metal and wrought iron.
The elaborate displays I created provided a unique shopping experience for our customers, tapped in to their curiosity, and became a new reason for them to visit the store. I would even build my own props for my displays. Some of my props were so well received that customers would buy them.
I also was responsible for researching the style guidelines for all of the brands we carried. I would train our staff on the new styles, mannequin dressing, and the new store layouts.
