With its clean urban décor and an eye to presenting artists' works to the public, Miscellany combines fashion, vintage, new artworks and style for shoppers in Grand Rapids' Heartside district.
The store (136 S. Division) is the creation of Patrick Lelli, who designed the shop in a small live/work space built by Dwelling Place. Lelli, an all-around artist with skills in photography, store design, graphic design and music, returned to Grand Rapids after several years of using his talents in Los Angeles and New York City.
He divided the space into three sections: one for living, one for the retail store and one for the art gallery. Lelli has a passion for collecting and selling handmade art books. He says his collection is modest right now, but he would like to make the art gallery and the art books a strong focus of the store.
The gallery's current show of works by Grand Rapids printmaker Todd Freeman coincides with the release of Freeman's book of his drawings of industrial nets entitled
Gather. (Show runs through mid-August.) Lelli is a little surprised at the success of his first two art shows.
"About a week ago, the guitarist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers came in when they were here playing at the Van Andel and bought half of Todd's show and took it with him," Lelli says. "And our first show, which was Amanda Acker, had a lot of traffic and she sold out half of her show, as well."
The retail side of the shop offers American-made men's and women's clothing from the fifties and sixties by brands like Pendleton and Woolrich, Lelli says.
"These live/work spaces are set up for this, like the traditional spaces where people lived in the back of their stores," Lelli says. "It makes it possible financially. My commute's about 30 seconds, and I love being central to everything that's downtown."
Store hours: Tues. through Sat., noon to 6 p.m.
Source: Patrick Lelli, Miscellany; Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.