INDIANAPOLIS — A new small business has opened its doors inside The Stutz as part of St'Art Up 317, a program designed to help local entrepreneurs land their first storefronts.
Amber Gyselinck-Snyder, owner of Lapis Lily Market, has turned her longtime passion for trinkets into a brick-and-mortar shop.
“What don’t I love about trinkets?” she said. “I really specifically like the hunt. This is me, I've been out hunting, I’ve found all my favorite trinkets."
For the past eight years, Gyselinck-Snyder has hosted trinket events and wholesaled her creations to shops across the country and here in Indianapolis. With the help of St'Art Up 317 — a partnership between the city and the owner of The Stutz building — she now has her own retail space.
“It feels so strange because I’ve wanted this for so long,” she said. “It’s like a check — but not done — because it just started.”
Lapis Lily will call The Stutz home for nine months. It’s one of five brands that have launched inside the building through the program. St'Art Up 317, founded in 2017, gives entrepreneurs short-term access to prime retail space while building toward long-term success.
“We can remove some of those barriers for access to good retail real estate for our creatives to thrive,” said Cathering Essleman, the director of St'Art Up 317. “It’s 500 square feet at a time, but we’re trying to build that bench of brands that can sign their own lease.”
Other businesses that started at The Stutz have already graduated to their own storefronts. One of them is WDRFA, a clothing brand co-owned by Gary Patterson. They now operate on Massachusetts Avenue.
“We lack retail, specifically downtown,” Patterson said. “There’s a lot of restaurants and bars, but not enough clothing and accessories. Consumer goods stores are hard in this economy, so I think the city investing and showing they want to do more is positive.”
If you're interested in learning more about St'Art Up 317 you can visit this page.
