Buffalo Rising Online

Feb 14th 2008, 11:16am By Elizabeth Spavento

“It opened by candlelight.” Stephanie Robb speaks softly, painting a romantic picture of Wild Things’ humble beginnings as an artistic cooperative. “When Kristen [Marfoglia] opened the shop we didn’t have electricity or a phone. I couldn’t have imagined twenty years ago that I would be making a living off of what started, for me, as a hobby.” As the current owners, Stephanie Robb and Karol Kirberger, gear up to celebrate the store’s twentieth anniversary, it’s hard to imagine Wild Things as anything but the sophisticated working artisan gallery that it is today.

Specializing in hand made jewelry, Wild Things is one of Buffalo’s acclaimed locally owned businesses. Browsing through the store, you can find almost anything from lavish bridal tiaras dripping with twinkling gemstones to bold, flashy necklaces donned with foreign coins. There is even a shelf full of delicate wire hair-combs decorated with antique silk flowers. “Custom design and bridal work is a huge part of our business,” Kirberger explains. “You can bring us a dress or a pair of shoes and we can have your jewelry made to match for the entire bridal party within two weeks. What other place can offer that kind of service?” What other place, indeed. Wild Things’ jewelry designs are completely unique and always receive plenty of compliments when worn.

It is precisely the attention paid to their customers’ needs that has created Wild Thing’s impeccable reputation. Currently, six female jewelers make up the artisan gallery, each with a unique sense of style and taste. In addition to exhibiting Kirberger and Robb’s gemstone and pearl pieces, Wild Things proudly displays Donna Sturges’s enamel jewelry, which has always been quite popular. Cynthia Hand, Dana Banka-Slone and Kathi Roussell, all silversmiths, complete the sextet with one-of-a-kind silver and gold pieces. Kirberger explains, “there is something for everyone at Wild Things.”

Contemporary or vintage, delicate or chunky, the breadth of jewelry offered in the store is exceeded only by the imagination, literally. For the pickiest of customers, any of the six artists at Wild Things can create custom designed jewelry for that unable-to-find-it-anywhere-else look. Kirberger loves to take vintage pieces and “make them live again,” often finding inspiration for her work in flea markets. What was once an old brooch can become a beautiful necklace or stunning hair ornament with a little help from the artist’s talent. That kind of custom work is precisely why people love going back to Wild Things.

The success of Wild Things is also due to its owners’ dedication to local Buffalo artists and their involvement with the community. A sense of synergy flows throughout the store, as if it could be “sniffed in the air” as Robb described it, attracting some of the city’s most talented minds and nimble fingers.

When Kristen Marfoglia, Lynn Schwab, Karol Kirberger and Stephanie Robb met in a Buffalo State College art class in 1988, they immediately wanted to open a business in which artists could have a space to work and sell their products. Acting as much as a salon as a store Wild Things emerged out of the natural ebb and flow of the lives and interests of the artists that created it. As some artists left the original cooperative to expand their talents in the community and others joined, Wild Things has come to embody the success that stems from the unrelenting drive to following one’s passion.

“There’s a quote from a book I’m reading called The Alchemist,” Kirberger admits. “It says ‘when you follow a dream with your whole heart the universe conspires in your favor.’ We simply encourage all the individuals who work here to follow their passion in the same way.” That encouragement has led both Robb and Kirberger to be an integral part of bringing the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts to Buffalo, a true demonstration of their support of local artists.

With the help of Tanya Zabinksi and Joe DiPasquale, the idea for the art festival was born in the back room of Wild Things. Committed to local artists, owners Robb and Kirberger wanted to show the “cultural and architectural heritage” of the city. “We feel like we’re making a difference in the aesthetic of Buffalo,” Robb says. They are. One of the main attractions at the festival is College Alley, a strip of booths and tents dedicated to Buffalo’s own college artists. In fact, many of the prominent college vendors have used the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts to initiate their artistic careers. Kirberger comments, “We knew Buffalo would promote a second festival and we wanted to nurture artists. That’s the main thrust behind our involvement in this whole process.” Having grown from a small cooperative, Wild Things continues to be a leading supporter of Buffalo’s artistic community.

Reflecting on the past twenty years of providing Buffalo with the finest jewelry in town, Robb and Kirberger are determined to stay exactly where they are. When asked why they have chosen Lexington Avenue, the two artists chime in at one time. “We don’t want to move to Elmwood because the charm might suffer. Besides, people know where we are,” they say with a smile, finishing each other’s sentence. “We have such a loveable community.”

Wild Things would like you to celebrate their twentieth anniversary in style! On March 1, 2008 each artist will present a piece of jewelry that will be raffled off to a customer in the store. Stop by for a piece of cake and a chance to win a design by your favorite artist!