Bed Bath & Beyond Bought Indie Marketplace Of a Kind

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Beloved indie e-comm shop Of a Kind just announced via email blast that they've been bought by home goods giant Bed Bath & Beyond. Founders Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo put it this way:

We have some big news—news that is allowing us to further our mission of bringing the work of up-and-coming designers to people everywhere: We're thrilled to announce that Of a Kind is now part of the Bed Bath & Beyond family. What does this mean, exactly? Well, first and foremost, it means that the BB&B crew thinks that Of a Kind is really special (blushing, chills, etc.) and that they want to 1) keep it that way and 2) give us much-needed support so we can really carpe that diem.

Mazur and Cerulo promise in the letter that linking up with Bed Bath & Beyond won't change Of a Kind's laidback, personal feel. "We'll bring you more limited-edition creations that support the work and careers of emerging designers we love. We'll tell you more stories and share our discoveries. We'll keep sending our "10 Things" newsletter and gabbing on our podcast, even," Mazur and Cerulo write.

Their email blast reads: "We're psyched to learn from a company that's been at it for 40-plus years (and has lent its magic to companies like Cost Plus World Market and buybuy BABY) as we take Of a Kind to the next level and build something better for our designers and for our customers." Racked has reached out to Mazur and Cerulo for comment.

Of a Kind launched back in 2010, spotlighting emerging designers by selling specially-commissioned, limited-edition items. In 2013, the site began to offer a larger range from its designers in a space called "Collections." Earlier this spring, Of a Kind linked up with Target for a collection of home decor products from American brands. By the looks of an announcement on their website now, Of a Kind is currently staffing up, with six open positions ranging from customer relations manager to associate buyer. For more about Of a Kind's influences, check out their Fashion Gateway Drugs video, featuring talk about Delia's sandals and Donna Karan-inspired AOL screennames.

Update: Erica Cerulo tells Racked: "Since day one at Of a Kind, our mission has been to make the work of talented emerging designers accessible to a broad audience. As part of the Bed Bath & Beyond family, we are now in a much better position to serve our designers and our customers. We’re thrilled about Bed Bath & Beyond’s enthusiasm and support for what we’ve built."

She continued: "As part of the Bed Bath & Beyond family, we'll be able to benefit from its resources, infrastructure, and talent—not to mention its 40-plus years of retail success." For now, there's no plans to stock Of a Kind merchandise in any Bed Bath & Beyond stores. "For the time being, we're focused on growing Of a Kind's e-commerce presence."

As for the future of the site under this new ownership, Cerulo said, "Of a Kind will still be Of a Kind! But we'll have the support and resources to fully realize our vision for what this brand can be."