Artifacts Ltd. returns to Springfield's center

It hasn't been that long since Artifacts Ltd. was selling pottery out of the Murray family's Nixa Hardware store.

Now, just four years later, the company is moving into a 55,000-square-foot warehouse and office in downtown Springfield.

Jason Murray, founder and owner of Artifacts Ltd., combined his love of traveling and his knowledge of Spanish when he formed the import company in 1996. A son of the owners of Nixa Hardware, a more than 100-year-old business, Murray chose the Mexican import business to make his mark.

Murray's company has moved around Springfield since it formed, starting out with a retail and warehouse location on Park Central West. He then opened a retail center on Fremont Avenue in south Springfield, closing the Park Central West retail store and moving the warehouse to North Main Street.

Finally, the company has found what Murray hopes will be its permanent space: the former McQueary Brothers drug company at Market and Olive streets, where it moved April 14.

"We've moved our entire operation into this location. We closed the retail store in January and will now focus on the wholesale part, which has had tremendous growth," Murray said.

Artifacts Ltd. imports handmade Mexican garden pottery, furniture and accessories, and sells those items in the United States and around the world, Murray said.

A portion of the company's new home is more than 100 years old, while an addition was made about 25 years ago.

In addition to moving the warehouse and shipping operation into the building, Murray plans to renovate the building's second floor into six loft apartments, which he hopes will be ready by the fall.

"The older portion of the building's upper floor is an ideal space for loft apartments. It has high ceilings and hardwood floors that will be great for loft space," Murray said.

Murray said he plans to live in one of the lofts himself.

What Artifacts Ltd. will not have in the new warehouse and office building is a retail store. The Fremont Avenue store closed in January, a result of phenomenal growth in the wholesale sector and increased competition on the retail side.

Since its inception, the company has been an importer of Mexican pottery and furniture, and has focused on garden accessories and furniture in recent years, said Jacque Polo, operations director for the company.

Artifacts Ltd. has a Mexican distribution center, and has plans for one in the Netherlands.

The company is now focused on the wholesale portion of the business, selling its wares to catalog retailers such as Sundance and Discovery Channel stores, and to large chain retail stores, such as True Value and Gordmans. The company produces an 18-page color catalog, and appears at numerous trade shows in order to introduce its products to potential customers.

Artifacts Ltd. gets its hand-made stoneware from artisan families in Mexico who are commissioned by the company to make the items that the company sells.

Murray, who is fluent in Spanish, frequently travels to Artifacts' Mexican distribution center, which is north of Mexico City in central Mexico.

Murray got his start in the import business as a college student on vacation in Mexico, taking "a bunch of Mexican blankets" 200 or so home with him to sell at his family's hardware store in Nixa.

Not long after that first foray into importing, Murray starting looking for products to import from Mexico. He settled on the pottery, and gradually the company found its niche to be in the garden furniture and accessory market.

Murray said he is constantly looking for unique products; among the newest products at Artifacts Ltd. are outdoor grills that look like animals pigs, fish or bulls.

Murray said his company is happy to be downtown, and to be focused on building out its wholesale business. The company plans to expand its importing with items from the Philippines, India, Malaysia and China.