We Are Upstate NY With Casa Ziki Owners Sylvana and Sasha

INSIDE+Out is thrilled to kick off the Holiday season with an exclusive interview with shopkeepers, Sylvana Kiss and Sasha Zinshtein the founders of CASA ZIKI. A fun-filled modern shopping experience, CASA ZIKI, located in Woodstock, NY, was born as a result of their immense love for well-designed and extraordinary objects. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or others, you will find an intriguing array of colorful and unique home decor, accessories, framed modern prints, and a zany collection of objects d’art. CASA ZIKI makes shopping fun!

Let’s get to know Sylvana and Sasha…

INSIDE+OUT: Where are you from, and how did you wind up in the Hudson Valley?

Sylvana Kiss: I am from Venezuela, and my husband is from Philly. We both ended up in Brooklyn, where we met and ended up married with our firstborn, Casa Ziki in Brooklyn. We had been spending a lot of time in Woodstock, blessed to have an amazing friend with a house within walking distance from town. We ended up having an extended stay due to COVID-19, and as ironic as it is, that stay sealed the deal for us. We would eventually move our lives there full-time.

What prompted you to open Casa Ziki in Woodstock in addition to your Brooklyn location?

After spending significant time in Woodstock and observing how the town was evolving with new shops and restaurants, we saw a great opportunity for a shop like Casa Ziki. We found a location that would allow us to be more art-driven than our Brooklyn location due to its larger size, and we quickly jumped at this opportunity and ran with it. We always wanted to be able to focus on showcasing local artists and artisans, and the new location gave us that opportunity.

What was your journey to retail and e-commerce?

The truth is that I am a shopaholic, and I always thought about the idea of making some money from this addiction I have. I’ve had a jewelry brand for 12 years where my partner and I source jewelry from different parts of the world, so I already had some experience with the buying process, running an online store and working with other retail shops. Before opening Casa Ziki, I also worked for a gift shop in Manhattan called Boyar Gifts. I learned many operational ins and outs of running a brick-and-mortar shop. We found the perfect location for Casa Ziki Brooklyn when we weren’t even really looking and decided to take it and start out as a holiday pop-up.

Your products are so unique and whimsical. How do you decide what you will sell?

I am constantly digging and researching designers, artists and brands. Instagram has been a great platform to explore that. We also attend the occasional trade show. Shoppe Object in NYC has been our favorite one thus far, as it has allowed us to connect with brands from all over the globe and see the items in person before we decide to buy. I am always pushing to find unique, colorful items to spark conversation. Items that you will not usually see elsewhere. But ultimately, I have to love something, and it needs to spark joy in me to decide to sell it at our shops.

Do you see creating your own line one day?

Absolutely! It is actually in the works as I write this. There are so many directions we can go with this concept, and there is a world of endless possibilities for what we can create. For the time being, we will start collaborating with artists and makers to create our line of exclusive pieces for Casa Ziki.

You sell online as well. Tell us about running “three” stores.

All I can say is that every day, we learn something new. So far, we have done everything in-house in terms of branding, website development, marketing, etc.. I feel that we still have so much to learn in terms of promoting our online store, and it’s a constant work in progress. When we decided to open Woodstock, we had a 2-month baby at home. Now, in retrospect, it was a crazy idea to open up another location at that time in our lives. We now laugh about it. We ran the Woodstock shop from Brooklyn as we were still not here full-time until July this year, and there have definitely been challenges with running a shop from afar, but again, we’ve learned so much.

What is one question you’re constantly asked or the biggest misconception about your work?

We love to see people’s reactions when they first walk into Casa Ziki. The store is filled with colorful and unique pieces that ultimately leave an impression whether you like them or not. People don’t know where to start looking, as our maximalist concept can sometimes be overwhelming. (Hopefully, in a good way!) People constantly ask whoever is working at the shop, “Are you the owner? Where do you find all these things?”

How do you grow your business, and how do your clients find you?

Since the birth of Casa Ziki, I can say that the growth of our business has happened very organically. Instagram has played a huge role in promoting the business, but other than that, we have yet to explore other social media platforms. People who find our store by walking in front of it or through word of mouth often return as we are always offering new products, and it keeps them excited to come back and explore.

Do you leverage social media, and how is that working for you?

We have a lot to learn and explore in terms of social media. We create our content and manage our Instagram in-house, and we are open to the idea of working with outside people to help us out with this. We’ve been approached by many agencies that specialize in growing businesses through social media marketing. Still, we have yet to jump on that. We are definitely open to the idea, though.

What are you working on now that you’re excited about?

We don’t want to spill the beans quite yet, so we will keep this one a surprise for when it is ready.

What about the Hudson Valley makes it unique to live + work here?

For us, it is the amazing nature and beautiful views combined with a very cool, artistic and eclectic mix of people. It made leaving the city super easy as there is really not much that is left to miss at this point in our lives.

Which places in Upstate NY do you most frequent?

Woodstock, of course… But also Kingston, Rhinebeck, Red Hook and Saugerties. Since we relocated here full-time, we still have so many places to explore.

What impact does your business have on your community?

I strongly believe it is a positive one. Since we opened our doors in Oct 2021, we have been able to host a variety of local artists and brands. We definitely look forward to connecting with more! All the locals from the area and neighboring towns that visit us are pleasantly surprised when they walk into our space, and it has been interesting and fulfilling to strike up conversations with them. I hope they return and bring their friends in with them next time they come!

What local businesses do you rely on to be successful?

In reality, all of them! If all our neighboring businesses are booming and doing well and attracting the right people, then that’s always a great thing for us.

What is missing in the area that you wish we had?

Like we mentioned above, Woodstock especially doesn’t really leave us with much to miss, even after leaving the city. Obviously, we’re used to having access to just about anything at any time.

What is your current state of mind?

The state of mind of first-time parents with a 2.5-year-old at home – tired and driven simultaneously.

 

Connect with Casa Ziki > Website | Facebook | Instagram | Inside+Out Spotlight

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