AVij5 Ambassadoris, just like us, a big fan of the Vij5 collection. It’s not just any retail location, but a store that knows just a little bit more about our products. The lines of communication between an ambassador and Vij5 are short, so he or she can tell you everything about the Vij5 collection!
We use the month of May to tell what makes these ambassadors share their love for our products. Edwin Pelser is the first to speak. Anieke talked to him, are you curious about the whole conversation? Then also listen to the podcast (in Dutch).
Text: Daniëlle van de Haterd (Staaldraad Tekstschrijver)
Photography: Vij5
For the past twelve years, Edwin Pelser has owned an interior design store in The Hague that bears his name. There, he sells not only products but also stories. Edwin is one of the ambassadors for our products, which have been part of his selection from the very beginning.
"If the story behind a product is expressive, it makes people find it interesting for a long time."
Edwin Pelser
"A good product is not only about shape, colour or trend, but also about the story that the designer wants to tell. If that story is expressive, it makes people find the product interesting for a longer period of time." This is exactly what makes the Vij5 collection so suitable for his retail range, according to Edwin. "The products of Vij5 all have a story to tell, I like that very much. It's often about the way something is made, usually there is a special production process, that's what I enjoy telling."
“For us, people like Edwin are an indispensable link in the cycle we go through for every product.”
Arjan & Anieke
Edwin discovered his passion for storytelling while working at the Design Academy Eindhoven. “I noticed that most of the wonderful stories that Designers has to tell remained within the academy. I wondered if the end user actually knew exactly what the purpose of a design was.”
Edwin's roots are not in the world of design, he has done higher vocational training for hotels and has worked in communications. So he is not the one who can make a product, but what he can do very well is talk about it. For us, people like Edwin are an indispensable link in the cycle that we go through for every product (design - curate - translate - create - share); a product only becomes 'real' when someone buys it and starts using it.
Edwin likes his store to be welcoming. “A lot of people don’t really know anything about design, but I still want them to feel comfortable coming in. I don’t want to give the impression that this is some fancy design temple where only super-trendy people are welcome. I’d rather create a cozy atmosphere.”
Whether people are very aware of the fact that by buying a product they become part of the design process, Edwin does not know. What he does notice is that customers sometimes really like to buy something from a specific designer. "Many customers find it important to have an original product and not a rip-off of a large retail chain. There are sometimes people who comment on the high prices compared to variants they have seen elsewhere. In that case, I can explain very well why that is so. I like to be able to tell what kind of development process is behind a product, people often have no idea about that."
“I don’t want to give the impression that this is some fancy design temple where only super-trendy people are welcome.”
Edwin Pelser
"I have to be able to tell the story behind a product. If I can't, it won't fit in the shop."
Edwin Pelser
When Edwin receives feedback from his customers about the products they’ve purchased, he really enjoys it. “I regularly get sent photos, and sometimes information that I can pass on to the designer or manufacturer. That’s really nice—to me, that’s what brings the cycle full circle. Actually, users should provide feedback much more often about what works and what doesn’t.”
Edwin has a preference for a number of brands. These brands are widely represented in his shop. "Maybe I'm not that commercial in this, but for me, it's not just about the products, but also about the way I work with the designers. When the contact is nice, it's also a matter of awarding. Apart from that, there are of course a number of pillars, one of which is that I must be able to tell the story behind a product. If I can't do that, it won't fit in the shop."
“The feel of a product is very important to me.”
Edwin Pelser
What Edwin offers is a mix of established names and unknown Designers. People come to the store and find items they’ve seen before, mixed in with things they’ve never seen before. He’s noticed that this is appreciated by both sides; the unknown designer gets a platform among the well-known names, and the established designers like that their products are surrounded by by genuine design pieces. “Sometimes I know right away that I won’t sell certain new items, but I still enjoy having them. I’ll never just sell something because I know it sells well—the feeling a product evokes is very important to me.”
Edwin by sees his appointment as an ambassador for the Vij5 collection as an advantage. “It keeps the lines of communication short, which means I can tell the story even better. I can provide information not only about the product but also about the people behind it, and it also gives both sides the opportunity to simply try out the products.”
Edwin's favourite product in the Vij5 collection is the coatrack by the meter. "I think it's just a really cool thing that really evolved from the material. I can totally see how this design has developed in a playful way and I'm curious to see if there will be more parts added in the future." Products that Edwin embraces often comply with the principle of 'form follows function'. This applies to the coatrack but also to other designs in the Vij5 collection.
Looking ahead isn’t Edwin’s forte or area of expertise. He prefers to act on the fly; things develop as they go by , time, and circumstances. “For example, I was told that I should focus more on interior design. I thought about it and decided that’s not what I’m really good at or what I want to do. Instead, I looked at the people around me, and that’s how a team of interior designers came together. I think that kind of collaboration is really cool, and it lets me keep focusing on what’s happening here in the store.”
“You have to incorporate new developments but apply them in your own way.”
Edwin Pelser
“For me, the store is, so to speak, a base from which I can organize new things. Of course, I can’t really predict what the future will be like, but I do believe that you’re the one in charge of it and that you have to make choices that suit you. I became self-employed twelve years ago; before that, I had to do things the way my boss thought they should be done. Going along with predicted trends actually feels a bit the same—I want to be able to decide for myself and not go along with developments that I don’t feel comfortable with.”