Business news:Â Bradford Shellhammer's online design retailer Bezar has announced the addition of a digital marketplace to its current offerings of pop-up and flash sales (+ slideshow).
The new Storefronts e-marketplace will offer pages managed by individual brands or designers, allowing Bezar to expand its stock. The company's goal is to make design affordable and accessible to larger markets in the US and internationally.
The new e-commerce platform will feature pages with a similar aesthetic to Bezar's existing site. Branding will be wrapped around pages operated by a selection of designers or companies, curated by Bezar founder Shellhammer and his team.
Bezar currently offers art, homeware, jewellery, and other accessories in a flash-sales format, similar to an earlier version of online retailer Fab, which was also co-founded by Shellhammer.
"Often people confuse luxury with design," Shellhammer told Dezeen. "I'm very inclusive, with a broad view of design."
"You can get on the marketplace if you have the volume, the capacity to ship, but most of all if I like it," he said.
The flash-sales side of the business will continue for introductions to new designers or special editions by established brands, as well as for seasonal offers.
The aim is to eventually include 750 categories of merchandise on the Storefronts platform, with a wide range of products and accessible prices.
Unlike the flash site, which requires membership to browse, the marketplace will be searchable straight from the web.
Bezar's aim is to invest in small businesses and emerging designers while operating as a profitable company.
"There is a soul to what we're doing," Shellhamer said. "What designers tell me is that every cent counts. You're not giving your money to evil empires. You're supporting smaller businesses and makers. It's a more responsible form of consumption."
In an Opinion column for Dezeen earlier this year, Shellhammer called designers his heroes.
"You have to make connections with real people and hear what they say about your work," he said ahead of the Storefronts launch. "Real sales and real money make a difference. Not just in paying the bills but also in the ability to make more."
Shellhammer previously co-founded online retailer Fab.com, which he left in 2013 amid financial turmoil. The company has since been acquired by manufacturing company PCH International. "One of the things I learned with Fab is that we really tried to do things too quickly," he told Dezeen when Bezar launched earlier this year.