Broad Studios Opens New Retail Shop

Broad Shop will offer artwork and home goods all made by skilled Texan creators

By Meher Qazilbash
Photos by Ellen Bruxvoort

Women-owned art collective, Broad Studios, is opening a new retail space called the Broad Shop.

Officially kicking-off on Thursday, June 2 at 12 p.m., the front portion of the studio in East Austin will serve as a permanent high-end retail experience featuring the works of solely Texas-based makers.

Broad Studios initially formed in 2018 as a collective for six female artists in need of an affordable space to develop their crafts. Now the group is co-owned by Genna Williams, Kara Pendl and Hallie Shafer, talented potters each with successful businesses of their own. The three women banded together to turn Broad Studios into a flourishing art hub, growing its numbers and branching into multiple other projects that benefit Austin’s community of creatives.

One of these ventures is Broad Studios Clubhouse, an educational space that holds art classes, one-off workshops, date nights and various public activations. With the launch of Broad Shop, it marks another significant step in supporting the work of local artists.

“We want Broad Shop to be your one-stop shop for high-end, locally-made home goods,” shares co-owner Shafer. “It’s really formed out of the belief that you can have a beautiful, curated life and home just with things made in your hometown and by people in your community.”

The store’s inventory will cover a variety of distinctive goods to embellish your space with, including kitchenware, home décor and personal care products. It’s also open to all mediums and forms of art, so you can shop from a thoughtful range of  homemade items from glassware and ceramics to jewelry and beauty products.

Broad Shop is all-encompassing when it comes to both artistic goods and the creatives themselves. While the Broad Studios collective focuses on uplifting exclusively women artists, the Broad Shop will represent artists of all genders. The main criteria is being a local.

“We wanted people to be from within 100 miles of Austin and to have a very diverse group of artists and artwork varying in mediums, price point and just the aesthetic of the work,” says co-owner Pendl. “We want to be a hub where our guests and clients shopping know that they can come to the Broad Shop and find great local art for their home or gifting.”

It also creates an invaluable opportunity for artists to make a living by sharing their work with their community. Some of the impressive brands that will soon fill the studio include Zanny Adornments, Soul Studio, PALETTE x Jessy Wilson, Maya Blu Home, Fibrous, Graze Baking Co., SLANTT, Awkward Auntie and more. 

For other creatives interested in gaining exposure, applications are still open for getting work featured in the shop.

The store plans to do things a little differently when it comes to selling art, with the intention to benefit the artists. Rather than the traditional wholesale of consignment economic model, Broad Shop has its artists pay a flat-rate self rental fee that they can count on every month and budget for. In return members receive a great gallery-style space where they can sell their creations, bring prospective clients to and rotate out new artwork as often as they wish.

In addition to the retail space, Broad Shop also has plenty of other plans to showcase its art to the public. Future programming will include specialty markets with the shop’s artists and gallery opening events, along with Broad Studios’ already existing quarterly markets and community events.

Make plans to visit Broad Shop and beautify your home with works of phenomenal Texas-based artists.

The Broad Shop will be open to the public for shopping every Thursday through Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m. Appointments with the artists can be made outside these hours. Check out their Instagram page for more updates.