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Berwyn, IL —
Like many of today's college graduates, Jessica Calek and Dan Streeting received their master's degrees in May and spent months looking for jobs without so much as a nibble.
Fed up with rejection and seeing few other options, Calek, educated as an architect, and Streeting, a graphic designer, decided to open their own business. But just what that business is depends on what day of the week.
The couple hopes that the storefront, known simply as “22” and located at 6910 Cermak Road, will primarily function as their design studio. On some weekends, however, the couple plans to open the area up as a marketplace for local artists and craftsmen.
In the future, Calek and Streeting also plan to host curated art shows and use the space as a gallery. Streeting, who previously helped run an independent record label, said he hopes the space also can be used for performances.
“This is kind of a new type of business, combining studio, gallery and market,” Calek said. “Most design firms are very private and they don't invite the public in. If you're a client, maybe you go in once in a while and they invite the public inside once a year. We'll be inviting the public in once a week.”
Calek was born in Berwyn and raised in Riverside, while Streeting was born in Reading, England and moved to Michigan as a child. The two met while attending graduate school at Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Michigan. The couple moved to North Riverside in July and rents the storefront from Calek's parents.
With few job prospects in their respective fields, the couple could have decided to forego their skills and their penchant for the independent arts for any job that paid. Instead, they decided to reinvent the business model for independent firms.
Calek has decided to adapt her architecture skills to the interior design field with an emphasis on local artists and craftsmen. As a result, using the space as a market on weekends gives her the connections she needs to give her designs a one-of-a-kind flair.
By using the space for performances, Streeting also can bring in the kinds of clients he hopes to work with.
“Throughout my career as a designer, I've always wanted to use my work to promote other creative people like independent filmmakers, bands and theater groups,” Streeting said. “Having a space like this allows us to consolidate all that and create a support system as well as giving ourselves work to do.”
Both Calek and Streeting have said that most of their work so far has been pro bono.
“I always wanted to open a store, but I didn't think of doing it this soon. I thought I'd be a little more established first,” Calek said. “We're just going to be here for as long as it’s productive.”
Like many of today's college graduates, Jessica Calek and Dan Streeting received their master's degrees in May and spent months looking for jobs without so much as a nibble.
Fed up with rejection and seeing few other options, Calek, educated as an architect, and Streeting, a graphic designer, decided to open their own business. But just what that business is depends on what day of the week.
The couple hopes that the storefront, known simply as “22” and located at 6910 Cermak Road, will primarily function as their design studio. On some weekends, however, the couple plans to open the area up as a marketplace for local artists and craftsmen.
In the future, Calek and Streeting also plan to host curated art shows and use the space as a gallery. Streeting, who previously helped run an independent record label, said he hopes the space also can be used for performances.
“This is kind of a new type of business, combining studio, gallery and market,” Calek said. “Most design firms are very private and they don't invite the public in. If you're a client, maybe you go in once in a while and they invite the public inside once a year. We'll be inviting the public in once a week.”
Calek was born in Berwyn and raised in Riverside, while Streeting was born in Reading, England and moved to Michigan as a child. The two met while attending graduate school at Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Michigan. The couple moved to North Riverside in July and rents the storefront from Calek's parents.
With few job prospects in their respective fields, the couple could have decided to forego their skills and their penchant for the independent arts for any job that paid. Instead, they decided to reinvent the business model for independent firms.
Calek has decided to adapt her architecture skills to the interior design field with an emphasis on local artists and craftsmen. As a result, using the space as a market on weekends gives her the connections she needs to give her designs a one-of-a-kind flair.
By using the space for performances, Streeting also can bring in the kinds of clients he hopes to work with.
“Throughout my career as a designer, I've always wanted to use my work to promote other creative people like independent filmmakers, bands and theater groups,” Streeting said. “Having a space like this allows us to consolidate all that and create a support system as well as giving ourselves work to do.”
Both Calek and Streeting have said that most of their work so far has been pro bono.
“I always wanted to open a store, but I didn't think of doing it this soon. I thought I'd be a little more established first,” Calek said. “We're just going to be here for as long as it’s productive.”
