Coworking with Isaiah Hartman

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Isaiah Hartman is a space planning analyst at arts-and-crafts retailer Michaels, focusing on optimizing assortment, timing, space, and location at its stores, and has helped lead analytics for its new small format stores. Get to know him better below.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I help determine what products go into stores, how much space they get, and when we introduce/exit the SKUs.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? My desk is the home of the fastest 30 minutes of analytics/insights in all of retail.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Rolling out Michaels’s new small-store format initiative. The company really empowered me to prescribe action that I felt was best. We had never done something like this before so I was truly able to build the store from the ground up and put my stamp on it.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about this year, and why? Integrating into the Web3 ecosystem. I really believe early adapters will be rewarded. I have done a deep dive into this space personally.  It is fascinating to attempt to wrap my brain around how we can make this seamless to the everyday consumer.

What’s your go-to coffee order? I arrive at the order window and ask the person taking my order to give me “their favorite (please).”

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? “You need eight hours of sleep a night.” I slept last year. Why do I need to sleep tonight?

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? When I was 15, my favorite retail product was the newest phone I could get my hands on—instant status in high school. Now, my favorite retail product is whatever my wife adds to our cart, usually for the dogs.