LIGHT ROOM
BY: JEN LEVISEN, EDITOR AT THE FORUM, MORTARR
Pop up shops aren’t just for restaurants and clothing designers. Welcome to JTH Lighting Alliance’s CLEAR Space.
JTH, a Twin Cities-based, five state independent manufacturer’s representative of lighting and controls, opened CLEAR Space in downtown Minneapolis at the beginning of the year to introduce their clientele, primarily architects and designers, to their wide range of manufacturers (100+) and provide education on the latest in lighting and control systems via seasonal pop ups.
“Our pop ups are allowing us to introduce our clients to lines they don’t often get their hands on,” says Samantha Phillippi, Architectural Sales with JTH. “They can play with them, touch them, see how they work against different materials. And, almost most importantly, these pop-ups serve as a great education opportunity.”
CLEAR Space features a raise/lower ceiling which allows the team to mock up different fixtures, as well as wall mount and dimming displays.
“If we have a client that would like to see a particular fixture in the ceiling, we can get it to the correct elevation and display the correct material underneath to see how the fixture illuminates it,” says Phillippi. “The same with our wall mount and dimming displays. We have four different color temperatures that we can show and all four of the downlight fixtures have a different dimming capability. The CLEAR Space really allows people the opportunity to compare options, based on capability and also by cost.”
Education is a cornerstone of the work JTH has been doing in the industry since it was founded in 1988. CLEAR Space also plays host to educational trainings and seminars.
“We are thrilled to offer our industry partners a collaborative space for the exploration of lighting and controls in the heart of Minneapolis,” says Jon Kirckhoff, Principal at JTH. “This unique space offers our design, contracting and end user community a space for education, training and the mocking up of lighting and control systems in coordination with important decorative and architectural elements.”
When the Forum had the opportunity to tour CLEAR Space, Louis Poulsen, a Danish lighting manufacturer, was on display.
“Louis Poulsen was born out of the Scandinavian design tradition where form follows function,” says Phillippi. “It tends to be a little more traditional, but contemporary in the same vein. Some of their most iconic pieces include the PH5 and the PH Artichoke — PH for designer Poul Henningsen. Louis Poulsen is celebrating Henningsen’s 125th birthday by releasing limited editions of some of his most classic designs.”
Currently located near the intersection of Washington Avenue and North 1st Avenue in Minneapolis, CLEAR Spaces current pop-up features Eureka Lighting.
And while CLEAR Space opened just this year, JTH is already making plans to move into a larger, Minneapolis-based location to expand their capabilities and offerings.
“By moving into a larger space, we’ll be able to highlight more manufacturers as well as have the space for interior and exterior exhibits,” says Phillippi. “It’s been so rewarding to see the response from our community, as well as our manufacturers.
"WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT'S NEXT.”
