Maker + Muse

A Long-Time Favorite

When Mary Ann Spencer and Joyce Balinucci created “The Tenth Muse Gallery” in 2003, they didn’t realize just how much of an impact the store would have in Maplewood, New Jersey. But the gallery quickly became a popular place to shop for handcrafted–even wearable–art.

Ownership transferred to Brian Dittmar in 2019, a former interior designer and lover of sophisticated, eye-catching goods. It didn’t take long for the rebranded “Maker + Muse” store to attract even more customers looking for a one-of-a-kind gift. From gemstone and crystal necklaces to home decor, the shop seeks products from artists all around the globe.

Finding the Right Features

With so many artists to keep track of, Dittmar is grateful for a point of sale system that comes with the right tools. Consignment abilities, such as vendor profiles and payout statements, help keep profits and percentages organized.

The biggest advantage to using Artisan, however, came with the ability to integrate with an online store.

“I’d been using Artisan for several years before deciding to completely overhaul our store’s website,” says Dittmar. “Our previous website was not connected to our in-store Artisan system, so it was paramount to unify them and include the e-commerce integration with Shopify.”

The CerTek staff was happy to step in and assist Dittmar with the process, connecting the store’s inventory data to Shopify via the program’s Task Manager function. “It’s completely changed our business and also given me the opportunity to delve much deeper into what Artisan offers,” Dittmar mentioned. “I knew all of the other good features in Artisan, especially the broad range of reports it can generate, but now using the Internet Store functions on a daily basis, I’ve been quite pleased with all it can do in that area–and how easily it integrates with Shopify!”