Fieldstudy
Address: 102, 1812 4th Street SW Calgary Alberta
Owner: Sarah Knorr
City // Community: Mission area in Calgary
Years in Business: 1 year
What does your business stand for: Hand made quality goods. In general, I handpick pieces that I love and that are thoughtfully made with care and skill. Pieces with a story that feel good to put on your body or in your home.
What influenced you to open your shop? It was always a dream of mine to be a business owner, then one day, I just stopped saying no to myself and being scared of the unknown. I was a teacher before, and absolutely loved my work, and knew I could always go back to teaching. I love traveling and visiting local shops in the cities I go to. I started discovering all these amazing brands and thought how perfect it would be to bring them to Calgary.
What are you focusing on for your business this year? I am focusing on bringing in new artisans and pieces that I am really passionate about and building stronger relationships with the artisans that I will continue to carry. I opened this store because I was a fan of these brands, and I am so excited every time an artisan / brand says yes to being in the shop. I will be carrying Lucy Michel and Helen Levi’s ceramics this spring which I am extremely excited about.
What are you favourite products in your shop right now?
I love Kristen Elspeth’s handmade 14k gold jewelry. I wear her Blade Demi Hoops almost everyday.
I am in love with the simplicity and craftsmanship of Notary Ceramics. Her mugs and bowls are my absolute favourite.
Doug Johnston and Block Shop Textiles were the first two artisans that I reached out to. I had admired their work for a while, so seeing their pieces in the shop makes me incredibly happy.
What do your customers keep coming back for? A few store favorites would be Group Partner’s Boob Pots, OZMA’s 1930’s silk bandanas, Swedish Stockings, Otherwild’s ‘The Future is Female’ Tees, Adorn Infusions face and body care line, and your beautiful Honey Tobacco Candle.
You recently travelled to Morocco, can you tell me a bit about that trip? Morocco had been on my wishlist for awhile. We rented a car in Marrakech, and I drove (my husband navigated) 1,800km through the Sahara Desert, Atlas Mountains, up to Fes then down the coast to Casablanca. It was an amazing trip - I loved getting off the tourist trail and seeing how people live day to day. I didn’t go thinking I was going to be bringing anything back, but I couldn’t resist. I ended up buying a beautiful indigo and orange rug for our house, then a few Beni Ourain and Kilim rugs to sell at the store (I still have a few left!) The highlight of the trip though was seeing Future Islands play in London. Best concert of my life!
Do you have plans for another buying trip for the shop this year? I am heading to New York this month to see the AW18 collections and hopefully pick up a few new brands there. And I will probably make my way to California sometime this spring to pick up some vintage treasures! My husband and I bought a 1980 Westfalia last summer, so this year we are focusing on camping and being outside as much as possible.
What’s the Mission Neighborhood like? Mission is an established inner-city neighbourhood between 17th Ave and the Elbow River, and a 5 minute commute from my house, which was a necessity. I wouldn’t want to be located anywhere else. I love this community, and have the most interesting and eclectic humans walk through my door every day. Everyone is incredibly friendly and the local businesses support one another.
We have such similar taste- you brought in two brands that I have been drooling over for years, A Question of Eagles and Native Line. What is your vision for curating Field Study?: I also had been drooling over these brands for year, I still can’t believe that I have Native Line’s weavings in the shop. They are exquisite. I look for products that are well-crafted, functional and timeless, that you will want to have and love for a long time.
If someone was visiting your shop from another town, where would you recommend they: eat, drink, shop, see or learn about in your city/ neighborhood?
Where to begin…
Coffee: Lukes Drug Mart or Monogram.
Brunch: OEB (which just opened up a few blocks from the store!!!).
Lunch: ramen at Shiki Menya or a sandwich at Sidewalk Citizen.
Dinner: Pigeonhole or Native Tongues Taqueria. And for drinks: Two Penny, Cannibal, or Milk Tiger.
Shopping: Head to Inglewood. Plant is a must! As well as Guildhall, the Livery and North American Quality Purveyors!
Do: The best part of living here is being able to be in the Rocky Mountains in less than an hour. A favorite weekend would be camping in the Kananaskis. We also have a ton of festivals in the summer, my favorites being the Calgary Folk Fest and Calgary International Film Fest. But my all time favorite thing to do in Calgary is float down the Elbow River.
What do you do for self care? Last year I didn’t do much of this, but I am trying to incorporate self care back into my routine. Making time for friends and family, dog walks and preparing homemade meals. As well as making time for fitness, which I was good about until opening the store. I am slowly getting back into weight lifting, yoga and spin.
What’s one thing right now that you really want to learn more about to grow your business?: Not so much grow, but I need to learn to let go. The store has been all consuming, it’s my baby, so it’s hard for me to let others take care of it. Going to Morocco showed me that I can leave and everything will be okay.
Please tell me your favourite podcasts and book recommendations:
Podcast: Norm Macdonald Live and anything true crime
Books: The World According to Garp by John Irving, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Can you share a favourite recipe with us?
I love the ‘oh she glows’ effortless vegan overnight oats. In the evening, I will make the oat mix (1 cup oats, 1 ½ cups almond milk, ¼ chia seeds, and ½ tsp of cinnamon) and keep it in the fridge. In the morning, I will fill a mason jar ¾ with the oat mix, then put fresh berries, granola, hemp seeds and a bit of maple syrup on top. Then I can easily take it to work.
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Thanks for reading, I hope and look forward to sharing the next shop feature. Leave a comment if you have tried any of the places Sarah listed to visit in Calgary, love those books too, or anything else that comes to mind! You can follow more of what Fieldstudy is offering through their website, instagram and facebook.
Photos of Sarah and the shop by @essentia-images
