Meet the Maker: Stephen Brown
What began as a childhood instinct — a reluctance to let the magic of Christmas end — has grown into one of the most recognizable aesthetics in gift and holiday retail.
For Stephen Brown, “Chief Glitter Engineer” of Glitterville Studios, the philosophy behind the brand is as personal as it is enduring.
“As other kids were getting really, really happy about the holidays, each day I would get a little bit sadder,” Brown reflected on his childhood. “Because I knew that Christmas Day was coming, and what that meant to me was that it was going to be over.”
The solution came from his grandmother, who reframed the problem entirely. Instead of accepting the end of the season, she extended it.
“She said, ‘Well, no, we can make things for Valentine’s Day now. What you have to do is learn to make every day a holiday.’”
It’s a sentiment that has since become synonymous with Glitterville, but more importantly, it established the brand’s foundation: Holidays are no longer confined to a single date on the calendar. They are something you create, delight in and return to again and again.
That perspective continues to shape the way Glitterville approaches product and merchandising. It’s known on the market floors as playful, colorful and often unexpected, but at its core is a deeply nostalgic and consistent point of view.
Market Breakout
Before Glitterville, Brown worked as a costume designer for television and film — a detail that explains much of the brand’s character-driven product. But the transition into gift was unexpected.
“I started making ornaments, and people saw them and said, ‘Oh my gosh, you should take those to Atlanta,’” he said.
At the time, he had little familiarity with the market landscape. When he arrived, it was in a 10-foot-by-10- foot showroom and just five ornaments.
“As soon as the mart opened that day, in the first 15 minutes, Country Living Magazine came, then Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion, then Department 56 came, and said, ‘We will license the line,’” Brown said.
When asked if he had more product, he said yes. The reality, at the time, was a bit more fluid. “Those five were made. I could surely make five more,” he laughed. It’s a moment that captures the spontaneity, joy and confidence that still define the brand today. Glitterville has never operated from a place of corporate over- planning or strict structure — and that has, in many ways, been its advantage.
Since that first show, the company has remained not just a consistent presence at market, but an absolutely show-stopping one. Its current showroom in AmericasMart Atlanta Building 2, Floor 15, represented by Road Runners — right off the escalator — can’t help but draw the eye with its colorful, effervescent displays that transport attendees into an alternate, more magical reality.
Brown can often be found in the middle of it all, conversing with customers with his signature warmth — occasionally holding Dolly, his fluffy chicken companion, a diamond necklace glinting at her feathery neck, of course.
A World of Whimsy
From the beginning, Glitterville positioned itself outside the expected visual language of Christmas. Early showroom visitors often arrived with a specific expectation for traditional red and green holidayware — which didn’t quite match what they found.
Instead, the brand introduced a different kind of holiday environment — one where color is bold and fluid, categories overlap and seasons coexist.
“Everything lives together. Easter’s here, Halloween’s here, Christmas is here — it’s a land where it all lives together,” he said.
That approach, once considered unconventional, has since become more widely adopted across retail. Color palettes have expanded; pink has become not just acceptable, but a staple in holiday assortments. More broadly speaking, holiday décor has shifted toward self-expression rather than merely tradition.
That influence has extended beyond the independent retail channel. Brown’s work has also reached a national stage, including decorating the White House for Christmas during the Biden administration — a moment that underscores how far the expanded definition of holiday design has come.
Ultimately, Brown hasn’t just created an aesthetic — he’s built an alternate, whimsical world, one you don’t merely browse but step into, where holiday magic is palpable, immersive, unexpected and just a bit otherworldly.
The Creative Process
Despite the cohesion of the brand’s aesthetic, Glitterville is not built around traditional product and collection development. There is no single moment where a line is fully conceived and executed. Instead, the process is continuous — brought to life by observation, instinct and unexpected moments of inspiration.
“People like to think you sit down and design the entire collection, and I’m sure Brian [my business partner] would like it to work that way,” Brown laughed. “But I’ll see a bird outside the window and think of something funny for him to do — and suddenly I’m drawing that as an ornament.”
Ideas are developed in motion — often between obligations, on planes or in transit — and then folded into the broader assortment. That creation process is supported by a small, highly involved team.
Dazzling Favorites & Bestsellers
Within that evolving assortment, certain elements have remained consistent drivers. A prime example: characters.
“For me, it’s always about the characters,” Brown said, pointing to longstanding figures like Baby Papa Noel, Mini Madame and recurring motifs such as fairies. “A house is not a home unless it’s got people in it, and I think the same is true of the giftware line. You see those characters that bring it to life.”
At the same time, other categories — particularly glassware and color-driven items — draw in a different kind of customer, often one shopping with a more defined need, looking for on-trend individual pieces that don’t necessarily incorporate all of the whimsy of the brand as a whole.
“We have a really popular glassware drinking line for cocktails and whatnot. People come in, and maybe they don’t shop the whole world of Glitterville,” Brown said. “They come in specifically for those categories.”
Staying Ahead & Standing Apart
In an industry that often moves quickly from one trend to the next, Glitterville has maintained a notably different approach.
“I always say that Glitterville doesn’t follow any trends, and we never have,” Brown said.
That stance has allowed the brand to operate slightly ahead of the curve — introducing ideas that may not resonate immediately, but eventually find their way into the mainstream market and trends.
“We have had a nutcracker that had a cupcake on his head [for years], and now nine out of 10 nutcrackers on the market have a cupcake on their head,” he said.
Rather than reacting too quickly to trends and demand, the focus remains internal, reflective and congruent with the child version of Brown whose grandmother inspired him to celebrate every day.
“Let’s just focus on doing things we love, and that’ll show through to the customer,” Brown said of his philosophy. For retailers, that consistency paired with unique vision creates a brand that customers recognize immediately and return to year after year.
Keeping It Fresh
For all its consistency, Glitterville is far from static. Each season requires newness, not just in the product available, but in how that product is presented and understood by both retailers and the end customer.
“You don’t want to change who you are,” Brown said. But he acknowledges that there is a balance between identity and evolution, and that is where the brand likes to operate. There is a thread of nostalgia running through the work, often rooted in memories of crafting, holidays and childhood. But that nostalgia is consistently reinterpreted, updated and expanded.
For retailers, Glitterville is a reminder that the brands that resonate most are often the ones that exude joy, as customers look to escape or romanticize their own realities.
At Glitterville, it operates the same way it always has, with that original spark: a child’s instinct to celebrate, to create and to carry the magic forward — from one holiday to the next, and then the next, and then the next — until joy, delight and wonder becomes the reality.
