For Chad Campbell and Shawn Silberblatt, co-owners of midtown Phoenix’s For the People boutique, good design is about more than just form and function. It’s about engaging with and inspiring their community. “We try to showcase things people in Phoenix don’t normally see in a store,” Silberblatt explains. “Customers really do want to discover things and learn about them.” To that end, For the People is part store and part community forum.
Visitors can browse a compelling collection of home goods, from Swiss pencils and Italian-designed monkey lamps to sculpture curated by the Al Beadle Estate and sustainably crafted furnishings by Gus. Every product, the duo explains, has to be beautiful, but it must also have a story. This mindset underscores For the People’s other purpose: engagement. In addition to housing Kream Coffee, where guests have hatched businesses like Shrubwell cocktail mixers (carried in the shop), and a fashion library.
For the People routinely hosts events ranging from outdoor concerts and pop-up shops to architecture presentations. Notes Silberblatt, “The space takes on so many lives.”
