Lauren Frohlich, Dog Day Studio employee, and Lila model some dresses from the vintage clothing line available at the store.
Lila Marquart studied Fine Art and Commercial Art when she attended college at BSC. “I couldn’t throw a pot to save my life,” she said. “But I learned how to cast silver and work with metal.”
After college she started making jewelry from a studio, then took a break after burning that down! “I learned how to work with hot metal, but not any safety,” she explained.
Around the year 2000, Marquart realized the wide variety of materials available online. “When I started back in the business I started as a wholesaler,” she said. “I put together Romance Cards with necklaces and each one told a story. I also became a Pride of Dakota manufacturer. For two years all I did was wholesale.”
Carded Jewelry – first designed Chakra jewelry for a chain of yoga studios in Minneapolis. Then she found glorious stories about goddesses, so did some cards and jewelry for those. Some retail stores asked for a birthstone line. Then she started an animal line. The possibilities are endless!
After watching Urban Harvest from afar the first year, Marquart set up a booth for the next four years and developed a retail following. “I went from being strictly a wholesaler to strictly a retailer,” she said.
Marquart is proud of the fact she makes jewelry that lasts. She lets her customers know she will fix or enhance the pieces she sells. “I had someone shut a piece in the car door and I fixed it, no charge,” she said.
Vintage clothing has become a fun part of her business. “When I started doing vintage, I was thinking 40’s and 50’s,” she said. “Then the young girls would come in and ask for 80’s clothing for parties and dances.”
A 1960s GoGo Dress
High school girls buy formals for prom and other dances. Middle age women might need something for a wedding or rehearsal dinner. Grandmas have come in for 40’s dresses to show how things were ‘back in the day.’
Marquart designs a wide variety of jewelry. She may take her jewelry into a romantic direction, or an ethnic direction, she may even create men’s jewelry! She also enjoys scratch board, watercolors and pen and ink.
Dog Day Studio is located at 303 East Main, Bismarck
Hours 1:00 – 5:30 weekdays / 10:00 – 3:00 Saturdays & Holidays / Closed Sundays
Dog Day Studio participates in 1st Thursdays, 5:00 – 8:00 pm every 1st Thursday of the month.
dogdaystudio.com