What Lakeside Collaborative does

Lakeside Collaborative, operating as Lakeside Collaborative Consulting, LLC, is a New York–based, multi-disciplinary retail strategy consulting firm founded in 2001. The firm crafts mission-driven retail brands and store environments for specialty retailers and non-profit cultural institutions, with a specialization in translating institutional mission into compelling retail identities. Core services include retail strategy, brand curation, signature product curation, store and interior design, visual merchandising, brand partnership development, and staff building and operations support. A definitional capability is the firm's "Mission-Driven Retail Philosophy," a proprietary methodology that aligns retail experience with museum missions and emphasizes artisan makers, limited editions, and culturally resonant merchandise. The firm also operates an experiential pop-up and guideshop service line, exemplified by The Novogratz Holiday Pop Up implemented in partnership with Amazon.

The firm generates revenue primarily through custom-quoted, project-based professional services engagements for cultural institutions, with secondary revenue from licensing and royalties tied to brand partnership facilitation. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, leveraging the founder's position as VP of Retail and Brand Development at the Museum of Arts and Design, direct outreach to institutional leadership, conference presence, earned media in outlets such as The New York Times, Creative Review, and Architectural Digest, and inbound from a journal platform and Instagram channel. Operations are anchored at 115 Wooster Street in SoHo, New York, with active engagements spanning major US cultural markets including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, San Diego, and Portland.

The client portfolio consists of 30+ named cultural institutions, including the Barnes Foundation, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Museum of Arts and Design, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum, The High Line, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Fabric Workshop and Museum, Center for Jewish History, Obama Presidential Center, New York Public Library, and Pratt Institute. The firm was founded by Franci Sagar, who also serves concurrently as VP of Retail and Brand Development at the Museum of Arts and Design, and operates today as a partnership between Franci Sagar and her daughter Sophie Sagar. Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, consistent with a boutique consultancy model.

Name

Lakeside Collaborative

Legal name

Lakeside Collaborative Consulting, LLC

Website

https://lakesidecollaborative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lakeside Collaborative is a New York–based retail strategy consulting firm that designs mission-driven store environments, brand curation, and visual merchandising for more than 30 North American cultural institutions, including museums, performing arts centers, and libraries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Strategy Consulting: Core consulting engagements providing retail strategy, brand development, and identity programs for cultural institutions. Engagements typically include concept design, brand curation, store design oversight, and ongoing advisory services.
2. Project-Based Retail Implementation: End-to-end retail environment design and implementation including concept design, interior design, visual merchandising, and operations setup for retail spaces and pop-up experiences.
3. Brand Partnership Development: Facilitating strategic brand partnerships between cultural institutions and curated artisan makers, creating exclusive product lines and limited editions that extend institutional brand reach.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lakeside Collaborative is a multi-disciplinary retail strategy firm that crafts mission-driven brands for specialty retailers, museums, and non-profit cultural institutions. The firm delivers retail strategy consulting, signature product curation, brand partnership development, store environment design, visual merchandising, and experiential pop-up / guideshop implementations. Its work transforms museum and cultural institution retail from an afterthought into a mission-aligned, commercially viable, immersive brand experience that engages visitors and communicates institutional identity.

Product overview

Lakeside Collaborative is a multi-disciplinary retail strategy firm offering a unified suite of services centered on mission-driven retail for museums and cultural institutions. Their core offerings include retail strategy services (concept design, interior design, visual merchandising, staff building & operations, and retail strategy), brand curation, and store design. The firm specializes in transforming retail experiences from mere consumption into conscious purchasing practices inspired by museum missions, creating immersive store environments that communicate institutional identities across all retail touch points.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retail Strategy Services Multi-disciplinary retail strategy consulting covering concept design, interior design, visual merchandising, staff building & operations, and overall retail strategy for museums and cultural institutions. Delivered as consulting engagements for non-profit cultural organizations seeking mission-aligned retail transformation.
• Brand Curation Signature product curation and brand partnership service that aligns retail offerings with institutional missions, connecting artisan makers and culturally resonant merchandise to cultural institution audiences and brand identities.
• Store Design Immersive store environment design service that creates inspiring and memorable retail spaces for museums and cultural institutions, integrating visual merchandising, brand identity, and narrative storytelling into the built environment.
• Experiential Pop-Up / Guideshop Services End-to-end conceptualization, design, and implementation of experiential retail environments for pop-up guideshops and short-term immersive installations. Used by cultural institutions and brand partners (e.g., The Novogratz x Amazon Home holiday pop-up) to create omnichannel retail experiences that preview, curate, and merchandise products.

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Small StuffcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Graphic design firm collaborating with Lakeside on retail projects including the Lincoln Center summer retail pilot. Small Stuff contributes visual identity and brand design expertise while Lakeside provides retail strategy and merchandising.
• LAMAS ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Architecture firm partnering with Lakeside on spatial design aspects of retail environments. LAMAS handles architectural elements while Lakeside integrates retail strategy and visual merchandising within the built environment.
• AmazonflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2017Collaborated on The Novogratz Holiday Pop Up guideshop in Manhattan, where Amazon served as the retail platform for featured items. Patrons previewed items through Amazon.com or the Amazon App before purchasing and shipping to destination of choice, creating a seamless omnichannel experience.
• IDEOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThought leadership alignment around company culture and staffing strategy. Lakeside references IDEO's work on building innovative teams and culture, applying similar principles to cultivating passionate retail staff for cultural institutions.
• The New CraftsmenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLondon-based retailer representing British craft makers. Lakeside features The New Craftsmen in their journal as a model of mission-driven retail, highlighting their approach to connecting makers with consumers and offering customization services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Roto: Design and branding firm recognized for museum, cultural institution, and place-based identity work (e.g., MoMA, National September 11 Memorial). Comparable to Lakeside in delivering brand and retail identity for nonprofit cultural clients.
• BRC Imagination Arts: Brand experience agency designing immersive visitor experiences, exhibits, and retail for museums, cultural attractions, and brand destinations. Comparable as a specialist in mission-driven, narrative-rich environments for cultural and visitor attractions.
• C&G Partners: New York-based design agency specializing in branding, exhibition, and retail environments for cultural institutions including museums and libraries. Highly comparable to Lakeside in serving the same client vertical with mission-aligned identity and merchandising work.

Broad incumbents

• CallisonRTKL (Arcadis): Architecture and retail design practice operating within Arcadis, delivering store planning, retail environments, and cultural-sector projects. Comparable on retail environment design with significantly greater scale.
• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with a large cultural institutions practice spanning museums, performing arts centers, and retail environments. Competes with Lakeside on larger cultural-retail mandates but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting and design firm with cultural and retail clients. Comparable on branding and retail identity strategy but at much larger scale and broader industry coverage.
• Pentagram: Independent multidisciplinary design consultancy with significant cultural-institution and retail identity work. Comparable on brand identity and visual storytelling but serves a much broader client base beyond cultural retail.
• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy with cultural-sector work and a referenced cultural-influence on Lakeside's staffing approach. Comparable as a creative services peer though materially larger and more diversified.
• Chute Gerdeman: Retail design and brand experience agency serving retailers and consumer brands with store environment and visual merchandising services. Comparable as a peer in retail environment design though without Lakeside's cultural-institution focus.

Others

• Retail Design Institute: Professional membership organization for retail design and retail environment practitioners. Adjacent to Lakeside's ecosystem — it sets industry standards and convenes the same community of retail-environment designers the firm serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/lakesidecollaborative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lakeside Collaborative