Customers at the Of Aspen store in Swarthmore aren’t called customers; they’re known as little leaves, people who have floated through the bright yellow storefront door into a creative haven.
As a freshman at Haven, Class of 2017 graduate and Of Aspen founder Caroline Stockman loved art class and the freedom she had to express her creativity and imagination. When she began to think about what she wanted to do after graduation, the vision of an art-focused business began to form.
“I wanted to make a place where everything I loved was all together,” Stockman said.
The arts and crafts store was first launched online by Stockman in 2019 and later opened its first storefront in 2020 before finding a final home at 23 South Chester Road.
At first, the website sold 48 items from six different artists. Almost seven years after its launch, Of Aspen now works with over 300 artists world wide and ships to over 30 countries, with hundreds of items sold in collections throughout the year in store and online. Stockman notes the hard word and extensive time put into growing the business.
“I knew that I didn’t want to just do this on the side, but I wanted this to be my life,” Stockman said. “I really was 24/7 doing this, and it did work really well and now I can say I have a seven figure business.”
However, the goal of Of Aspen has never been just about the business. Stockman strives to create a space where patrons can be assured they are purchasing art from human hands, in turn supporting small artists around the country.
“Part of our motto is ‘artists supporting artists,’” she said. “By me taking on the shipping and marketing and business side of things for them, it helps the both of us. They have more time to focus on their art and produce new things, and then I can take it off their plate. It’s like a symbiotic relationship.”
Stockman specializes in finding and selling repeatable art from small artists, including products such as small prints, stickers, and pins.
“[Repeatable products] make art more accessible for people to see it everywhere, not just as a fine painting on a wall,” Stockman said.
This idea is echoed by middle school art teacher Mr. Brad Hosbach, Stockman’s former teacher at Swarthmore Rutledge Elementary School.
“I try to make my students aware that pretty much everything they’ve ever bought, there’s been an artist behind it, whether it’s a logo on their shirt or the person who designed the album cover of the album they just bought or the packaging for a candy bar,” Hosbach said.
As well as picking products with the intention of supporting small artists, Stockman curates collections for Of Aspen focused around a theme of her own interest, often something seasonal or whimsical.
“I love making Pinterest boards and mood boards,” she said. “My drops are based around themes that we’re into at the time. I can find a lot of correlations [between items] that may not be present for everyone, but I have a vibe. It’s kind of like scrapbooking.”
The name of the store itself also holds personal meaning to Stockman, who was born in Aspen, Colorado.
“I always said I would want to name my dog, my kid, or my business to use the name Aspen, and this came first,” Stockman said.
Along with the name Of Aspen and the yellow leaf logo came a new name for customers of the store: little leaves. While following the theme of her shop, the nickname also emphasizes Stockman’s separation from the transactional feeling of business.
“Although I sell stuff, and that’s my job, I want it to be your decision to buy it so you don’t feel like you’re getting pushed ads and sales,” Stockman said.
With Swarthmore’s growing town center and frequent event roster, more awareness is being brought to community members about local artists. Art teacher Mrs. Jennifer Rodgers is a patron at Of Aspen and often supports artists at events like the Maker’s Market, which took place on November 2.
“It’s terrific, and that lets people know that you can buy really wonderful, special, beautiful things that are made by humans in your community,” Rodgers said.
Of Aspen also promotes non-local artists throughout collections and permanent in-store items. Every year, Stockman drops a Halloween-themed collection in the fall, and this spooky season the most popular items among little leaves were prints and stickers from Little Spooky Studio, an online art business and long-term vendor for Of Aspen. The business is run by artist Regina Prager and based in Portland, Oregon.
“It was probably our bestseller of our Halloween collection, for a vendor,” Stockman said. “It’s another example of artwork being made accessible to people. Because she’s in Portland, she might be selling at local pop up events in her area or some stores, but people out in the east coast here wouldn’t know her. It’s cool to see yourself making an impact.”
