Many classic silver pieces that have been in the family forever were once beautiful, but often become dull in an ever-brightening world. Enter Julia Moss, whose store brings classic into the contemporary.
Julia Moss Designs takes unused silver items and breathes new life into them by way of powder-colorizing, a process of painting that gives vintage silver pops of color. The matte, shiny or metallic finish gives a finely detailed tray a punch of color perfect for updated dining spaces.“We call it upcycling,” says Moss of her three-year-old business, popular with many Edina residents. “Sometimes I act as a confessional with people holding onto their grandmother’s silver.”
It’s not as simple as painting, though. The process brings a piece’s details to the forefront, in addition to leaving pieces more durable and scratch resistant.
“ ‘Get any color’ seem to be the magic words,” Moss says.
In addition to picking from 30 colors, you can choose between a matte, shiny or lustrous finish for your piece.
The process works with any stored silver. Moss works with items from traditional silver trays to unique silver pieces. One of the bestsellers is Champagne buckets.
A walk into Moss’ Uptown Minneapolis store can initially confuse customers, but they always respond to the colors. Little silver containers that once could have held milk for tea now hold succulents. Marble-paper-covered soaps among Missoni hand towels and gourmet lollipops are among the items available for sale.
“People who walk by say it’s such a happy store,” Moss says. “It’s fun, different and happy.” You’ll find the gamut of the season’s trendiest colors, seafoam being a best seller, closely followed by black and white.
“Food safe [paint] was a game-changer for us,” says Moss, referring to the black and white choices, Moss’ options for food safe. Moss now adds it to the inside of colorful bowls, making perfect kitchen pieces to hold food. She’s recently discovered using the two colors together as a gradient. What was once a mistake is now for sale in the store.
While the colors seem endless, Moss sticks to two color stories a year, broken up by the seasons. The current fall/winter collection has been carefully considered for months. After all, it’s what Moss prides herself on.
“There’s so much thought on what people might gravitate towards,” says Moss. “It’s an interpretation of trends, but also nature, earth and the ocean.”
While Moss can do the powder-colorizing process herself, she now leaves that work to a team of professionals. “It’s a big step for people, which makes it a big responsibility for me,” Moss says.
Patrons can bring in their own silver to remake or they can shop from the pieces available in store or online.
In July, Moss launched her own line of vintage-inspired pieces.
Each experience in the store is unique. Moss recalls a time when a customer came in with her mother’s old silver, displaced by moving. The family decided that the children and granddaughters would choose a piece and a color to paint it. It even started a dialogue among the family.
“People share their stories and they know they’re being heard,” says Moss. “It’s a confirmation to them that they’re not alone.”
Friend and customer Shari Fleming has found a little bit of everything. “I have personally bought some of her gorgeous trays, little catchalls I use for jewelry, a fabulous wine chiller, a darling bowl with heart-shaped handles I keep fruit in and a bowl for my coffee pods,” says Fleming. “She is so much fun to work with and helps you to make your pieces really personal and unique.”
Kevin Quinn of Styled Retail is a part of Moss’ business future. “When she showed [the product] to me, I immediately thought, ‘We have to tell this story,’ ” says Quinn. “It’s a product and a service, and this is an important story.”
“It’s a new way to entertain. In the past, everything was about metallic and neutrals and now she’s bringing color to the forefront,” Quinn says. “Now you can express yourself and have fun with color.”
As someone who focuses on marketing, public relations and telling a story, Quinn is keenly aware of the specific demands of retail today, something Moss certainly doesn’t shy away from.“With social media we can show a creative side,” Moss says. “And when you look at our website you can’t help but get happy and excited. You could just sit down with your coffee or a glass of wine and enjoy.”
Moss recognizes the new demands on the market by a millennial consumer base, but eagerly rises to the challenge. “They’re about the experience and personal,” says Moss. “At the same time, they want that generation crossover with relatives.”
While the powder-colorize method doesn’t add monetary value to your silver pieces, it does offer the chance for another use. And after all, giving something you love another life is priceless.
