and ad serving technology, through its sale in 2008 for $3.1 billion to Google. He says though he worked in a different type of industry, his experience growing DoubleClick may serve him well at 1stdibs. “We scaled [DoubleClick] from the 40 or 50 people it was when I joined to more than 2,000 people in 25 countries,” he says.
1stdibs currently has a staff of 50, which Rosenblatt says he plans to expand. The company will grow its ranks in marketing, technology, operations, and sales he says. “We have a great collection people who understand this market,” Rosenblatt says. “My job is to build a team of people who are equally good at building and scaling Internet businesses.”
Currently 1stdibs primarily serves customers in North America, Rosenblatt says, though the company also does business in Britain, Mexico, and France. Rosenblatt says an iPad app is in the works for 1stdibs, since many dealers use the tablet device to show off items to their clients.
Rosenblatt says his goals as CEO include offering the website’s services to more customers around the world. Rosenblatt also wants to increase the breadth of products made available from abroad. “There is no reason why we shouldn’t be in 50 to 60 countries over the next couple of years,” he says.
Rosenblatt also wants to add new product categories, though the company has not yet determined what it will introduce. “We have an art business, a jewelry business, a fashion business,” he says. “What are other things that our customers look to us for?”
1stdibs sells items that range from an American flag from the 1876 centennial to a pair of Spanish marble side tables. “One of the promises we want to fulfill is aggregating the world’s supply of beautiful, one-of-a-kind products,” Rosenblatt says. The site adds new inventory every Wednesday.
Rosenblatt says 1stdibs sets itself apart by gathering selections that would otherwise be hard for buyers to find on their own. “I think it’s an incredible opportunity to bring the luxury market into the digital age,” he says. The company said it expects its gross volume of goods sold by the dealers on the website to top $500 million this year.
While 1stdibs offers some sale items, most products are not listed at a discount. That makes the site different from other e-commerce sites such as New York-based Fab.com, which offers discounts up to 70 percent off for certain items. Gilt Groupe also offers curated luxury items with discounts for its members.
Michael Bruno started 1stdibs in 2001 to offer what the company describes as “the experience of a flea market in Paris,” albeit a rather high-end flea market.
Bruno will remain active with the company, Rosenblatt says, and will likely focus on strategy, new markets, new products, and relationships with the company’s key customers. “[Bruno] is definitional to this business. It’s his voice that is expressed in every product,” Rosenblatt says.
