Curating the Cure: With Retail Pharmacy

Under the sterile fluorescent lighting, Retail Pharmacy (RP) prescribes a dose of thoughtfully curated art, clothing, and accessory items made by emerging NYC creatives ranging from teens making their first pieces in their rooms to CFDA award-winning designers.

RP provides its “patients” with a cure-all for local shopaholics after the loss of Opening Ceremony’s flagship store.

“People need a place to find cool new weird shit and sell it,” Allen-Golder, RP creative, claims. “ I like to tell her [Sophia Boli, RP owner] she’s gonna be the next Opening Ceremony, she fills the void they left”

Sophia Boli, Alessandra Rake, Allen-Golder and others supply RP’s “patients” with both an online and in-store retail therapy experience under this concept shop.

Sophia Boli, 28, (she/her), owner/founder of Retail Pharmacy (RP)

Boli launched Retail Pharmacy in August of 2021.

Growing up with a mother who “definitely believed in retail therapy,” shopping was the feel-good cure after her frequent visits to the doctor for back and hip issues at a young age.

Born in LA, eight-year-old Boli and her parents moved to Hawaii where she spent much of her time in the backroom and sales floor of her mother’s shop instead of daycare, which clearly shaped her interests.

“I always wanted to own my own store and when I saw the opportunity to do a pop-up shop—I just seized it” Boli exclaims.

Much to her surprise, after reaching out to over 30 designers that she was interested in carrying, almost all said yes to selling through RP.

Boli wants to change the way people shop.

“There are so many designers and artists making items that we don’t need to shop at large chain stores like [as] we do,” confesses Boli.

By focusing on designers who have a background in art or think about their work conceptually, Boli curates a collection of wearable art. “ I feature all sorts of emerging, independent creators, but the ones who mix their art practice with wearable items get me the most excited,” says Boli.

She aims to curate a lasting experience for RP’s patients through her frequent pop-up shops taking place in local gallery or exhibition spaces around the downtown scene.

“I want [ RP’s patients ] to really remember the shop and feel connected to the items they are buying. I think a lot of regular stores don’t care about whether you really love what you're leaving with, but I do” Boli expresses.

In the US, 81% of Gen Z consumers prefer to discover, trial, and purchase new products in-store. More than 50% say in-store browsing is a way to disconnect from the digital world. Boli facilitates this disconnection from the digital world by offering a real-world experience that connects the local community of creatives.

“I think there is something special about shopping in person,” Boli says.“There is a feeling you get when you find a piece you love in person that I don't think you get when you shop online.

RP is exploring various mediums aside from retail, with spoken word/poetry night readings, fashion show style performance presentations, and full-blown conceptual art installations already under its belt.

Boli plans to open a permanent showroom or storefront in the near future where she can consistently showcase work and make sales. “ This way I can focus the attention and energy I use on the pop-ups on special community-building events” she expresses.

Alessandra Rake, AKA Eventyrverden 22, (she/her) fourth-year fine arts student at Parson’s University, RP Designer

Originally from Elko, Minnesota, “a small farm town outside of the twin cities,” Rake began experimenting with print-making and screenprinting early on in high school.

Rake went on to complete a program called access/print at a gallery and co-op space, called High-point Printmaking Center, in uptown Minneapolis.

“It really changed me and nearly everyone I’ve met from Minnesota at Parsons did it too” added Rike.

Now, in her fourth year at Parsons in NYC studying fine arts, Rike is exploring the idea of incorporating her artwork into wearable garments and accessories sold exclusively through her Depop shop and RP.

Rike accidentally discovered her recent medium, sublimation, on Youtube during the Pandemic when researching how to expose screens for screen-printing.

Originally Sourcing most of her images from Reddit threads, old chat forum archives, and sex doll websites, Rike views her sublimation garments as a side project next to her more traditional art practice.

“I used to use a lot of found images in the beginning, but I’m really trying to move away from that” Rike Admits.

With Rike’s parents in school studying to become surgeons, she Spent most of her childhood in hospitals and clinics looking at surgical equipment and documentation of surgeries.

“I remember seeing a lot of really gory images from a really young age, like under [age] four” she laughs.

This medical environment became a source of inspiration for Rike and her brand, Eventyrverden.

She references surgical procedures, specifically extreme plastic surgery throughout her work and collaboration collection with 25FNYC.

“I kind of view my work as two parts” Rike admits, “Half of my work [under eventyrverden] I hope people think is funny and dumb or are like wtf - the other half is more serious”.

The Norwegian word eventyrverden translates to “fairytale world” in English. Getting the idea from her favorite fantasy story and film, Alice in Wonderland, Rike also found the spelling to be intriguing as it looked “elvish”.

Rike grew up close with her grandparents, specifically her Grandfather who was captivated by fantasy worlds and tarot readings while simultaneously following the Catholic religion.

This interesting dynamic strongly influenced Rike’s approach to her art.

“Internet culture, fantasy worlds, and cosmetic medical procedures are my main inspirations right now” Rike proclaims, “I think they all are pretty extreme examples of pushing against the puritan values that are so ingrained in our culture but also embrace them to the fullest extent”.

Rike’s artist statement reads:

“Anchored by the Christian-derived value system, secondary worlds become stories of pleasure or indulgence in a state that continues to reject any fictional narrative that isn’t ultimately nurturing the neoliberal -free-market promises of salvation for those it was designed for. When the exclusivity of this ideology is challenged and the ‘promised folk’ are no longer regarded as the only people in the world - they feel entitled to call upon the sins of the newly reached.”

— Alessandra Rake

Selling through RP’s pop-up shops has further shaped Rike’s perspective of her work, artist statement, and brand mission. She feels a push to create her best pieces, knowing that all of the other garments, accessories, and items featured at RP will undoubtedly be so unique and conceptual.

“I explore the ideas of gluttony, ego, and sabotage. Examining these feelings as both my own and the projection of those who feel permitted to tell me my sins and even prophesize how they may inform my future. This is my prophecy and likely forgone fantasy” Rike declares.

Allen-Golder Mullin carpenter, aka allen-golder, 23 ( he/they), interdisciplinary artist, designer, writer, burgeoning activist, and RP designer

“I’m a young [redacted] from around the way with a skill for every finger on my hands and an idea for every hair on my head.
”

— Allen Golder

Growing up between East Riverdale and Seat Pleasant, Maryland, where fashion was “designer logo belts and Jordans,” Golder rejected conforming to the standards of his surroundings.

With a background in art herself, Golder’s mother enabled his creativity from an early age. “They say the biggest favor you can do for your kids is make them read fantasy for their imagination and my mother's encouragement of my reading, even if it was manga/comics, was crucial and the impact things like naruto and dragon ball had on me was profound” explains Golder.

Like most, Golder started out screen-printing tee’s and hand-sewing patches on jeans, before he was given a sewing machine for Christmas “ with the rest being history.”

Golder has since evolved to avant-garde fashion and conceptual art in the form of sculpture and installation.

“I like to say I make ‘high art for hood [redacted] ,” he laughs.

Golder’s most recent installation project titled A.A.P debuted in conjunction with Retail Pharmacy’s, 5th installment: 5 rights, pop-up shop which also featured a collection of clothing items as an extension of Golder’s art practice.

Known in the art world as “wearables”, this collection allows people to participate in the work that they otherwise may not be able to afford.

“The [installation] project was meant to explore my sense of humor, to poke fun at a lot of stuff, one of those things being the separation between art and fashion that a lot of people make,” Golder confesses, “pointing out,” how art, when wearable, when “functional” is worth less, because when art meets function that’s design”

Playing on the divide, Golder states, “as soon as you cross that threshold out of the retail space into the installation space the expectation of price changes and all of the sudden that $100 shirt becomes $1000 because it’s been sealed in resin and made into a sculpture.”

Golder utilizes items of clothing in combination with “found objects” or materials in his sculptures and installations that are adorned with original illustrations and poetry. He sometimes incorporates literal trash or garbage in his work.

“One time I found a bed linen on the side of the road, took it home, washed, cut, dyed, and sewed it into a two-piece suit that was a part of my recent presentation at Von Ammon Co” he says.

Golder claims he prefers to work with friends as much as possible stating, “through the shop me and Sophia, I’d like to say, have become genuine friends” following with, “On top of that… she moves inventory, If I give her 30 pieces, I can almost count on most of them being gone by the time the pop-up ends and the stuff goes online.”

Retail Pharmacy features a plethora of multi-disciplinary artists, like Rake and Golder, who are at the forefront of changing not only the way we shop but also the way we view clothes.

Providing a space for creatives to come together, RP is an influential cultural leader of the art and fashion scene in NYC.

“Everybody knows someone that’s been in it, it’s almost like a downtown roll call,” says Golder.

RP’s next planned event is a mini-mart pop-up shop taking place this weekend (December 16th-18th) at 127 Eldrige Street in NYC, featuring the works of Rike, Golder, and more RP creatives curated by Boli.

Shopping is the cure. Get your medicine at Retail Pharmacy.

CultureLexington Line StaffApril 28, 2023