We are a locally owned retail shop and gallery in downtown Lawrence KS dedicated to showcasing local
Located in beautiful downtown Lawrence KS, our shop showcases a variety of handcrafted works created by over 200 local and independent artisans. **Online only through pandemic ** We feature a rotating Gallery (Sparrow Gallery) and participate in Final Fridays in downtown Lawrence the last Friday of every month. Shop at www.essentialgoodsks.com to find our artists' works available for purchase!
07/19/2022
Dear Lawrence,
Thank you, so much, for opening your arms to us and supporting our artists over the past ten years! Our gratitude to the artists we represented and our customers who supported them - and us - goes to the moon and back. We have been so lucky to be part of a community that so strongly supports the arts and local business, and Downtown Lawrence was a dream location for us. A massive thank you to all who helped us grow along the way and believed in us— our amazing staff, artists who trusted us with our work, our customers, fellow business owners and friends.
Our online shop has officially closed but you can find some items in our pop up shop sale in Swanson’s at 700 Massachusetts in Downtown Lawrence July 19 + 20 and then in the Downtown Lawrence Summer Sale at 700 Mass alongside Swansons bright and early on July 21. We hope to see you!
Please remember to support our local businesses! They are what make Lawrence as unique and rad as it is!
THANK YOU, LAWRENCE!! With Gratitude, EG
06/15/2022
Curiosa is now accepting letters of interest from Lawrence based artists and craftspeople, both emerging and established. We are located inside Miller Tattoo and the aesthetic is modern and untraditional, with a lean toward work that has a point of view. Both 2D and 3D work is welcomed. We especially encourage submissions from members of underrepresented and minority communities. Our mission is to provide a welcoming and inclusive venue for local artists to display and sell their work.
11/19/2021
Lawrence Love by Inkello + Smiling Mad has been restocked ❤️❤️❤️
10/30/2021
Love these little skellie cat dudes 😺💀Stickers by Yonder Studios, available in our online shop!
10/29/2021
Limited Edition giclee print on archival paper by Matt Rees, hand signed and numbered. Available in our online shop! 🦇🧛
10/23/2021
Meow! Black cat block print journals, tees + prints by Janellabee Studio! 🎃
Available in our online shop.
10/22/2021
We love these creepy ornaments by Another Girl! You need these! 🦇 Available in our online shop.
10/22/2021
Yes, please! Witchy Woman tees lovingly screen printed by our friends at Yonder Studios 🔮 Available in our online shop!
10/22/2021
Don't let Satan get ya down, and ward off unwelcome guests! Limited edition Halloween-y (or whenever!) letterpress prints by Skylab Letterpress out of KC. Available in our online shop!
10/22/2021
Some of our favorite mystical creations by Bee's Knees Industries for the season! Available in our online shop.
10/21/2021
To celebrate our favorite time of the year 🎃 use code SPOOKY in our online shop during checkout to receive 20% off your order! ❤ you!
10/21/2021
We are digging on these creepy cute concrete doll head planters, hand-poured by Ashley from GLO.BOWL. She repurposes thrifted toys and builds her own molds to create these one-of-a-kind planters. In addition to a drainage hole either in the bottom of the pot or the mouth of the piece, each one is painted gold, sealed, and pairs best with a small succulent, cactus, or air plant.
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Located in beautiful downtown Lawrence KS, our shop showcases a variety of handcrafted works created by over 200 local and independent artisans, with the majority of them being local or from Kansas. We feature a rotating Gallery (Sparrow Gallery) and participate in Final Fridays Art Walks in downtown Lawrence the last Friday of every month. We take pride in supporting the arts and providing our customers with unique, handcrafted artwork from individual artists. In our shop you will find a wide selection of greeting cards, prints, jewelry and accessories, apparel, candles, bath and body care, gifts for the kitchen, drink mixers and edibles, children's apparel and gifts, glassware, pottery and much more!
Each month, we feature a new Artist of the Month in our online shop, giving our customers a chance to learn more about a particular artist and their work. In 2018 we began our Meet The Maker series, an event in which we have a particular artist in the shop at a given time with their selection of their works, giving our customers a chance to meet a particular artist and learn more about their work!
We’re not gonna lie— we love this town, our community and the community within our artist network. It’s a pinch me and wake me up is this real kind of deal— we feel so lucky to be able to participate in such a vibrant community that supports local and the arts so strongly (thank you, Lawrence!). Our artists feel like family to us and we are proud to share their works with you. We enjoy collaborating with groups within our city that we feel are supporting the greater good, such as Van Go Mobile Arts and Phoenix Woodworking. More and more, we are partnering with a variety of our artists to create custom work proprietary to the shop, which is a lot of fun!
COVID-19 info: To continue to support artists of Lawrence and beyond, and to provide an outlet for their works, ***we will be pivoting to an online presence for the time being.*** We make this move with an eye for potentially doing a Massachusetts Street shop/gallery in the future. We look forward to continuing to bring locals, homesick Lawrencians and those around the world that appreciate our local creative vibe, an outlet to find works that we proudly stock. We have been providing free local delivery and will continue to do so. We look forward to evolving our online shop and gallery with virtual events, gift packages, continuing our Artist of the Month, collaborating with artists to create works only available in our shop and more. Thank you for all of the love and support, Lawrence (and beyond!).
Our history: Essential Goods began in the fall of 2012, when two friends decided to open a small working studio making bath and body care products nestled in downtown Lawrence at 15 E. 7th in the Palladian Building. We began participating in Final Fridays Art Walks shortly after opening a portion of the studio up to a retail space that featured a selection of local artists' work. In January 2013, the retail portion of the shop was named Essential Goods, and we expanded our artist base to over 30 local artists. In August of 2013, Essential Goods moved to the lower level of 825 Massachusetts Street, with more room for more artists' work. In late fall of 2016, we moved to 933 Massachusetts, on ground level and with much more room to carry more artists' works, where we currently reside!
