While transforming his home, Dustin Pickett found himself at a loss looking for home décor and art representative of himself and black culture.
So in June of 2020, Picket launched his brand Scattered Shop, an e-commerce website that sources home décor, art and furniture from artists and artisans part of the African Diaspora.
The African Diaspora encompasses anywhere that black people have landed as a result of the transatlantic slave trade. Pickett said most items sourced are from Western Africa, as well as Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, South African, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Haiti and more.
Although Pickett admits he does not know where his family originated, he feels a connection to his unknown ancestry and surrendered himself to celebrating all cultures within the African Diaspora.
“I figure if I don't know exactly where they come from, I will just celebrate all the different places that are possibly right, all the different places that are representative of black life and black people who are living and living well,” Pickett said.
Accessibility played a part in Scattered Shop's origins. Pickett realized that while the pandemic made travel difficult or impossible, outside of that obstacle, many people will never have the opportunity to visit places like Africa and delve into the art, artifacts and cultural items found there. He wanted to bring representative pieces of various cultures to the states for anyone to celebrate and include in their personal spaces.
“(Scattered Shop) highlights the beauty of artists and artisans from various cultures and tells the stories of the art and the artists in ways that don't start in a place of poverty or from a negative place to evoke emotions but one that that is rooted in celebration," he said.
Scattered Shop currently works with 15 artists across the African Diaspora, supplying inventory from masks and bowls to apparel and jewelry. Pickett offers items bouncing between affordable and luxury from $8 to $200.
Pickett is hopeful for the direction of Scattered Shop in the next year. He will take the first half of 2022 to make the Dayton area aware of the platform, through local popups and events. Once he can establish an interested local audience, a physical location may be on the horizon for the business.
Pickett's said his inventory is currently at a U-Haul warehouse in Dayton, but he is pursuing a larger storage space with a potential area for customers to come in and view products. An official deal and location have not been finalized.
“It's the world of entrepreneurship,” Pickett said. “It’s about pivoting, making changes, trying some things out and seeing how it lands and measures, making that adjustment and then trying it all again. That’s really what the next year looks like.”
In 2022, Pickett said Scattered Shop will begin phasing out jewelry and apparel in pursuit of a focused effort on interior design. The new inventory will bring larger home décor, art and furniture items as well as a design service to transform a personal or workspace to include a bit of black culture.
“It’s about curating a space representative of those various cultures and the brightness, the boldness of colors that that come from it to really craft the space that that speaks to what they're looking for,” Pickett said.
Scattered Shop has worked with local institutions such as the University of Dayton and Greater West Dayton Incubator. Pickett said he is looking to bring additional staff on board for 2022, following the African proverb “many hands make light work” to lighten his own load and create opportunities for growth.
Scattered Shop
Founded: 2020
Owner: Dustin Pickett
Employees: 1
Scattered Shop Website: https://scattered.co/
Service: Home decor, art and furniture supplier
