WHEN M.S. RAU opened its first pop-up shop in Aspen, CO, this summer, new clients were enchanted. They were also highly qualified buyers — by design.
Founded in 1912 and led by third-generation owner Bill Rau, the family-owned antiques and jewelry business operates globally. It discovers items worldwide and places them in international collections, both public and private.
Over the past decade, M.S. Rau has produced museum-quality exhibitions annually, both in its flagship New Orleans gallery and at a selection of art and antique fairs worldwide. The company tracks where it meets each of its clients, determines their lifetime value and uses that information as a marketing metric, says president Andrew Fields.
Advertisement
One of its most rewarding selling excursions, year after year, has been to participate in a summer show in Aspen. M.S. Rau has determined that the lifetime value of a client sourced from that location represents the highest revenue volume of all of the markets in which they do shows.
So when Fields heard from a realtor friend that an ideal location would be available as a pop-up shop in the summer of 2024, he enthusiastically took the idea to the M.S. Rau governance board team. “We have a corporate strategic plan to grow the business, and this is our first brick-and-mortar place outside of New Orleans for anything more than a week,” Fields says. “We had to gain confidence that we could do it all: find housing, send employees up to Aspen, and shift people in and out.”
Once they secured the prime location, the interior design team devised a plan to reflect the elegant decor of its New Orleans home, and the company embarked on a month-long renovation in May. They opened on June 6 and closed in late September. “As always, there were a few curveballs, but it all came together with employees all pulling in the same direction,” Fields says.
The pop-up occupied the entire street-level floor of a historical building alongside the premier luxury retailers in the heart of downtown Aspen. Fields describes Aspen as a glorious resort town that is culturally rich and authentic. “We have long admired Aspen’s thriving art scene and its vibrant summer season, which attracts discerning collectors from around the globe,” he says.
And M.S. Rau, as the largest antiques, art, and jewelry business in North America, fills a niche. “In Aspen, six or seven out of 10 people who walk in are qualified,” he says. “Some have never heard of us and they’re just blown away. There’s a lot of energy, excitement and positive feedback. We sold every category — painting, jewelry and antiques.”
Like its famous New Orleans gallery, M.S. Rau Aspen showcased museum-quality offerings including works from Renoir, Picasso, and Degas and accessories from iconic jewelry houses, including Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and Harry Winston.
Selected jewelry included sapphires galore, Tiffany pieces and incredible gemstones. “We have an amazing Bulgari necklace, one of a kind, full of color,” Fields says. It’s an incredible piece that’s been exhibited all over the world. A stunner.”
M.S. Rau Aspen also hosted on-site events and exhibitions connected with the city’s renowned cultural events, including the Aspen Ideas Festival, Aspen Art Week and the Food & Wine Festival, for which a New Orleans mixologist was on hand.
Advertisement
“It was really fun to invite the community there,” Fields says. “Everyone has the same reaction, which is, ‘Wow, this looks like a museum.’ But it’s a more intimate setting, and we’re there to build collections for our clients. We do have museum-quality pieces, but our offerings run up and down the price spectrum. There are some moderately priced pieces.”
M.S. Rau hit their financial goal for the pop-up in the first six weeks. “Of equal or more importance, we are picking up a huge number of new clients attracted to our brands and our products,” Fields says.
The 40,000-square-foot flagship gallery in the French Quarter of New Orleans features works from a diverse array of museum-quality artists and artisans. M.S. Rau’s Jewelry Gallery in New Orleans won first place in INSTORE’s America’s Coolest Stores contest in 2022.
