David Dewey and Stephen Brown

Who

Business partners David Dewey and Stephen Brown, the masterminds behind new giftware company OneHundred80°.

Mavens in the Market

Photo by Stephanie Colgan

Dewey, based in Minneapolis, and Brown, in Tennessee, are “the perfect marriage of talents,” says Dewey. With more than twenty years experience at Department 56—leading design, development, and sourcing under the company’s founder—Dewey knows the ins and outs of the wholesale gift market. In contrast, Brown’s background includes costume design, window display work in New York City, acting, and folk art. For the past five years, he’s developed and marketed his own line of seasonal giftware called Glitterville.

Gut Instinct

Dewey discovered Brown’s line while consulting for Department 56. The two hit it off—both had the drive to try something new—and decided to start a business of their own. “I felt there was a big opportunity and a pressing need for change in this industry,” Dewey says. “Our product is designed primarily by myself and Stephen, but we also use young, local designers—most of whom are fresh out of art school and have no background in this industry. We prefer it this way. Our goal is to revolutionize the wholesale gift market for the independent retailer in every way—from how product is designed, sourced, packaged, shipped, marketed, and sold.”

Trend Awareness

“My first ten years in this business were spent in Taiwan, where I was intimately exposed to how product was developed from ‘the other side.’ ” Asian influence, including Japanese pop art and comic book art, is evident in many OneHundred80° products. This season’s innovative origami ornament collection (made of porcelain) is a prime example of the company’s attention to detail and trend.

Younger Approach

“People have certain expectations of what giftware looks like—traditional,” Dewey says. “And that’s still where a bulk of the market is. That’s going to change in the next five to ten years as younger generations get into purchasing mode. They have a very different aesthetic than people of my parents’ generation. A lot of young designers grew up with computers and graphic styling. That aesthetic is being translated into what we’re doing . . . in a way that works for dimensional giftware and would appeal to not just twentysomethings, but also an older audience with a good eye for design.”

Find OneHundred80° at Ampersand, Bachman’s, Hallmark, and Patina.