Why monthly subscription services are so beloved
When I was in school, I had a roommate who was a proud member of the Potato Chip of the Month Club. Each month, we eagerly anticipated the day when her oversized box would be delivered to our dorm, containing several bags of potato chips in a variety of unusual flavors not to be found on the convenience store shelves.
Despite the advent of online shopping, the thing-of-the-month club concept is still going strong, and has, in fact, reached new levels of refinement and taste.
Enter Frankie and Albert
Take, for example, Frankie & Albert, a subscription service that delivers hand-picked, home décor objects directly to your door. Specializing in vintage found objects, Frankie and Albert have a Los Angeles studio of “thousands of carefully curated” housewares, tchotchkes, and knickknacks that they have collected from thrift stores, flea markets, estate sales, and antique shops across the United States.
Frankie & Albert is ideal for you if you “love the look and idea of vintage items” but lack the “patience, time, or aesthetic confidence in going to flea markets yourself.” They tailor their selections to your tastes using responses from a quiz you fill out when you sign up. The questionnaire asks you to indicate which rooms you’d like to decorate (including bathrooms, kids rooms, and outdoor patios), and asks you a number of questions about your personal style.
“Match the story of your home”
You can choose from a number of colors and materials, such as wood, glass, ceramic, plastic, cloth, or brass, and can choose from a list of different styles, including mid-century, eclectic, rustic, industrial, art deco, traditional, Southwestern, and glam. Of course, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can just choose “surprise me!” for many of these categories. Using these questionnaire responses, as well as data pulled from your Pinterest, Frankie & Albert send you a box brimming with hand-picked items “that match the story of your home.”
Subscriptions run about $50 per month, with discounts when you sign up for three or six months in advance. Everyone loves a surprise in the mail, and Frankie & Albert delivers gifts that resemble a “care package from a like-minded friend.”
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