"In Italian, Trovati means 'to stumble upon something unexpected,' so that's what all of the products are," says Trovati's owner, Paula Murphy. "There are things you wouldn't normally find at your average retail store, whether it's furniture, clothing, food, etc. So, that's what makes everything different. You can come to us and you'll know there's a story behind everything we carry and it's something that you're just not going to find at a normal retail store."
Murphy curates one-of-a-kind items from around the world, finding unique products and artists and bringing back with her both their items and their stories.
"It's wonderful to be able to tell brand stories about people who are out there," she says.
She describes
Trovati as "95 percent e-commerce," but this new 1,500-square-foot space developed by Rockford Construction at 625 First St NW puts a selection of their extensive online product collection under a big, sky-lit retail spaces that doubles as a studio and triples as an office.
Although Murphy was initially just looking for some office space for her partners who help run Trovati online, she says she was convinced to invest in the West Side after a long conversation with Rockford Construction's Mike VanGessel.
"I really wanted something that would be the image of Trovati, again, something where people are going to stumble upon something on the West Side," she says. "After listening to Mike's vision for the West Side and what's happening over here, I said that I really want to be a part of it, part of the resurgence, part of really bringing retail to a part of the city that isn't well-represented yet and kind of be at the forefront of that."
Murphy says though right now Trovati may be a destination retail space in a still-developing neighborhood, she sees big things ahead for retail in this Grand Rapids neighborhood, and thinks the idea of bringing global e-commerce into the mix is representative of that kind of limitless growth.
"I'm working with Rockford and that's why I chose to be over here, because I think with the wonderful things happening in the neighborhoods here," she says, "I think this is going to be the place to be for retailers in the future, so we wanted to partner with Rockford and really be part of that."
To view Trovati's brand partners and unique collection of items, visit www.trovatistudios.com
Written by Anya Zentmeyer
Images courtesy of Addison Singleterry
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.