Praise

“Rare Device was the first store I officially sold through. At the time I imagined it was a stepping stone, but it turned out to be something more akin to a diving board! After working with Rena and having her sell and promote my lighting through Rare Device, my business officially took off. I’ll never know how she found me, but I am eternally grateful and think it’s great that now makers can come directly to her and have her share her insights and work her magic to help them in the same way.”
- Donna Brady, RE-SURFACE

“Rena is fantastic to work with and a lovely person. She was one of the first stores to give my jewelry a chance and then carried it for years. Over time our relationship evolved and she was always supportive of my work and the various changes it has gone through.”
- Amy Tavern, Amy Tavern Jewelry

“When Rare Device first opened I walked the 15 blocks to Rena’s shop every week just to see what gems she had added. Her ability to curate such a beautiful collection in a small space made RD the most exciting shop in an area already known for its fantastic stores.”
- Grace Bonney, design*sponge

“As Rena’s business partner at Rare Device in San Francisco, I can speak first hand about what an amazing experience it was to collaborate with her. I entered our retail business relationship with no experience in owning a brick and mortar shop, and the pressure was on Rena to bring me up to speed on every aspect of owning and operating a store. Not only did Rena teach me what I needed to know (and beyond), she did so with clarity, depth and patience. Working with Rena over the course of three and a half years was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. She’s smart, creative, forward thinking, extremely knowledgeable, and exceptionally organized. Her kind, easy-going persona and crisp sense of humor make her an even greater pleasure to work with. If I ever venture back into the world of retail, there is no doubt Rena will be first on my list of people to call on for advice.”
- Lisa Congdon, illustrator and fine artist

“What I appreciate most about Rena is her ability to balance the practicality of the bottom line with the necessity of taking calculated risks to bring a product to market; she understands profit margins and creative vision – equally. We look to Rena to verify our firm’s research on business lines and new products; she has helped us to separate short-term trends from investments and retail strategies with staying power. Two experts for the price of one!”
- Heather, Avenue Associates

“Rena has been, in short, an invaluable consultant. Her experience and depth of insight, combined with her skills and abilities, has helped us navigate and grow in a crowded field of business. On top of everything, she’s a pleasure to work with. I can’t recommend her highly enough.”
- Paul Donald, Branch

“When attempting something new there is one thing that you will desire more than any other: the advice of someone who has been there. Rena’s background spanning from entrepreneurial product design to straight up bricks-and-mortar retail means that most design-related business issues you face she has already encountered and dealt with. When sharing her expertise in retail, messaging, and outreach Rena works with a calm that only comes from the confidence of experience. I can hardly think of a better advisor to those venturing to do something truly original.”
- Dash Marshall, architecture/product design

Select Articles and Interviews

Unanimous Craft interview, March 2012
Gift Guide Picks, Better Living Through Design, December 2011
Guest Curator, Supermarket, November 2011
Spotlight interview, Vianza, August 2011
Get the Look Decor: California Modern, Etsy Blog, July 2011
Attributes, Anthology Magazine blog, June 2011
Bold Local, The Bold Italic, January 2011
Stylemaker Spotlight, San Francisco Chronicle, October 2009
Sisters in Idiosyncracy, New York Times, March 2008
Interview on Behance, Rare Device: Collaborative Retailing, December 2007
The Decor Store as Gallery, San Francisco Chronicle, November 2007
Interview on Poppytalk, October 2007
Webisode interview with Fly, May 2007
Interview in Craft Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business, Chronicle Books 2007
Podcast interview with Lena Corwin, design*sponge, June 2006
Open For Business, New York Times, October 2005

Rena’s jewelry design business and brick and mortar stores have been featured in many national and international publications.