Lively home goods store taking over North Park

Hoa Quach

It isn’t a typical business one would see in North Park, but on any given day, it draws just as large of a crowd as its neighbors.

University Avenue’s kaleidoscope, which opened in May, is owned by neighborhood residents Becki and Lee Kaplan, who say their shop is already winning the affections of locals.

For Emailweb — Reacting to North Park’s trendy reputation, kaleidoscope plans to adapt its products to its customers’ desires. (Courtesy kaleidoscope)

The store attempts to distinguish itself from typical home goods stores by catering to fashion lovers.

“When we decided to open our first retail store, we asked ourselves what will set us apart from all the competition out there,” Lee said. “We ultimately decided to focus on mixing fashion kitchen essentials with great fashion gifts for the home. And our customers have given us an overwhelming positive response to our product mix.”

The store offers goods ranging from kitchen products to gifts that are vibrant, colorful and uncommon — such as a silicone spatula in purple.The shop’s unique name is derived from its eclectic bunch of products.

The Kaplans said they determine what to offer at kaleidoscope by patronizing everything from major trade shows to shopping stores. A limited number of items are ordered but popular items are often reordered, Becki said.

“We knew we wanted a lot of color and always will, but our customer will tell us the direction,” she said.

But the couple isn’t new to the business world.Becki said they previously owned a wholesale gift business for 15 years. Their background has taught them a lot about what it takes to have a growing clientele too.

“From a merchandising perspective, we learned that if you deliver the right product at the right time and at the right price, you will have a customer for life,” Lee said.