.jpg)
The salon INCH 1967 in the Kalnciema design cluster, as this place tends to be called in design jargon, has been a citadel of style and femininity for a number of years, and never ceases to surprise with new products – now accessories have been added to domestic textiles and clothing, as well as a line of body care products, dried apples and teas gathered in Latvia’s fields. Hand work, combined with quality, taste and love radiates from every corner, and the founders of INCH and current owners Evija Sīle and Jana Jaunzeme are beaming and open, although their smiles also have an element of bitterness, disappointment and uncertainty.
The aim of establishing the salon in 2006 and a recurring theme since then is to work and generate happiness for themselves and those around them, to fuss over clients: to lay them down to sleep in beautiful bed linen, to dress them in light dresses in the summer, and in warm knits in the winter. However, this “tasty life”, as it is called by the owners of INCH, has turned out to be an expensive and time consuming hobby. It is no secret that in the first years of the salon’s existence, Evija and Jana (both architects by profession) also successfully worked in their own profession, which in the distant 2006 allowed them to ignore financial losses incurred by the maintenance of the salon, and allowed them to subsist on the sense of satisfaction offered by this creative expression. “Back then we believed that we could do it, because the standard of living in Riga was not very different from the standard of living in Brussels”, remembers Evija Sīle. Faith gave them strength not to be scared off by warnings that this kind of design project in Latvia was destined for failure, because there had never been and in the near future there would not be an appropriate market here – that the lack of turnover would not allow one to gradually build up one’s muscles and gain strength, for this or any other design initiative.
When in 2008 architecture and interior design practically ceased to exist, supplementary investments became impossible and the salon INCH had to change from being an expensive hobby, similar to downhill skiing or buying a horse, as Evija Sīle comments ironically, to becoming the main source of income. The salon owners were not ready for this change, and therefore not prepared to make quick decisions and reorient themselves to new goals – both in terms of the range of products offered, and in terms of the target audience. Changes occurred gradually, coinciding with the growth of dissatisfaction and the increase of contemplation about a number of more or less abstract things. One has to agree that Latvian society is not educated enough, nor loyal to the local manufacturer, and state policy not only does not support, but in an indirect way also thrusts rods in the carriage wheels of Latvian business, destroying the image of Latvia in the eyes of the international public and sowing panic in Latvian inhabitants who still have buying power, by associating the spending of money with bad habits or foolishness. The rebirth of a person from a blind consumer, who buys five pairs of gloves in the supermarket sales “for cheap” and ends up losing one pair after the other or leaving them on public transport, to a thinking individual who chooses a unique, hand made, and of course, much more expensive locally-made pair of gloves instead, is happening, but slowly, demanding sacrifices. “The gloves bought here are the apples of our clients’ eyes,” Jana Jaunzeme comments, in this way illustrating two types of thinking and consumer profile, the differences which both owners of INCH understand so well.
However, an invitation to maintain traditions and an appeal to social responsibility is an unstable foundation on which to support a business. Survival conditions are apparent through the yet-to-be-completed web page, the only approximately formulated definition of the INCH market niche, as well as the lack of a clear vision of the future. Evija and Jana do not hide the fact that until now, the concept of creativity has dominated the salon, rather than the necessity to sell products and establish a stable client base. Therefore the changes that the salon has experienced in its three years of existence have often occurred due to tough experience – the chosen road has been difficult enough.
The first serious test was the choice of a location. The first shop, in the shopping centre “Mols”, where people walk around with “dull faces”, did not provide the expected result, which was achieved after taking up residence in the restored wooden house on Kalnciema Street. This location undoubtedly suits the atmosphere of the shop very well, although, unfortunately, presents the challenge of attracting customers. Despite the romance of Pārdaugava and the creation of the new design centre, which is added to by the monthly craft markets organised by the INCH owners, it is difficult for this area to compete with the activity in the centre and its colourful public, not to mention the accidental tourists and “real women”, who, although they are willing to pay for taste and quality, cannot find the time for such a long excursion because they are too busy.
The idea of the “design breakfast” was successful – an event that was finally able to gather interested parties and potential buyers in one place, and present the salon’s newest offerings. Understanding that it was not realistic to sell the highest quality European textiles in Latvia due to their high cost price, the INCH owners began to seek solutions at more realistic prices. One of these products was knitwear bed linen made in Latvia, which was followed by towels, home wear and other products. Unfortunately Latvian society continues to find itself a hostage of stereotypes and associates knitwear with low quality, and believes that the fabric quickly loses its form and has a short lifespan. Scandinavian tourists are much more educated in this question, and buy these products without hesitation.
Another anti-crisis solution has been the development of a line of cosmetics. This also has an individual story of creation, the same as every other INCH trinket, which makes the product inimitable and unique: the raw materials brought personally from Morocco, self-learned aromatherapy, self-mixed ingredients... INCH is managing to keep the product at a price, which they believe is acceptable and reasonable. “There is nowhere to retreat to,” they explain, “because any further back there is just alcohol, bread and firewood”.
“You want to know how to survive in a crisis? It requires hard work – at the expense of your family, personal life and free time,” admit the owners of the salon. It is the current situation that has forced them to explore the foreign market – in early December the salon will go to win hearts at the craftsmen’s fair in Italy. They have the intention to apply for participation in the Maison & Objet exhibition in Paris... However, creativity and love again gain the upper hand, because, as Evija admits, “I would much rather please a Latvian than an Italian.” Without a doubt, this rare gesture of trust deserves to be valued, and this is what we would like to wish for both of the courageous “INCH girls”.
