The world of John Derian has been described as a modern-day wunderkammer, the German word for “cabinet of curiosities.” It’s a fitting fate for a daydreamer who grew up in a family of noncreatives. The youngest of six children, Derian was mainly entertained by his own imagination. “Being left alone, I found myself being more creative and making things, and my environments were important to me,” he tells host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of The Business of Home Podcast. “I really was forever building forts in all kinds of places, like abandoned buildings, once in a milk truck, in bushes, in trees—wherever I could find a place to create and spread out, I did.”

In the early ’80s, Derian began working for La Ruche, a Boston gift shop owned by Maria Church and Apple Bartlett, Sister Parish’s daughter. There, he blossomed creatively and began tinkering with decoupage, cutting and gluing images and pasting them on clear glass—the craft that would launch his career. With the help of Bartlett, Derian found himself in New York, working out of his apartment before landing in an East Village storefront in 1995, which has since grown to include dry goods, furniture and ornaments. Along the way, he has collaborated with the likes of Target, Pierre Frey and Todd Snyder and attracted A-list fans like Martha Stewart, Anna Wintour and Frances McDormand. “Everything was sort of organic. I did these weird jobs. I made things, and I sold the things. I needed a bigger space, so I moved,” he says. “I didn’t plan anything—it all just happened.”

Derian has an “old school” way of running his business, still favoring pen and paper and written records (there is no point-of-sale system in his shop), and he is the head buyer, visual merchandiser and COO of the operation. It’s a lot of work, but a personal touch is key to his approach. “When people talk about expanding, I always think it just gets watered down. Whenever another store opens somewhere else, it’s never quite the same,” he says. “Coming into the shops is like coming into my home, in a way, because it’s so personal. Even the images that I use become part of my life, and I’m connected to [them].”

Crucial insight: Derian would be the first to admit that he’s not the most businessy business owner. When asked for tips by up-and-comers, his advice is simple: Look back. “I feel like I’ve been doing the same thing my whole life, so it does help sometimes to look at what was,” he says. “We are so formed by an earlier age, [more] than we realize, and then you wonder about how we lose sight of that sometimes. With people, I just say, ‘Do what you love to do, and just believe in yourself. If you’re an artist, and that’s your art, and you believe in it, then there’s no question to it.’”

Key quote: “I’m doing everything I want to be doing, but sometimes I think I could be doing things at a different pace. Not that I really want to slow down—some astrologer last year told me I was a ‘chaos monkey.’ I’m juggling a lot, always.”

This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Klafs. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The Thursday Show

Business of Home executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including layoffs at Sotheby’s, RH’s latest earnings report, and the return of colorful bathrooms. Later, BOH editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen and retail columnist Warren Shoulberg join the show to recap 2024.

This episode is sponsored by Kohler. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.