Retail Associate

Ox-Bow as an artist-built community is dedicated to the preservation of time and space for arts education, research, practice, and community building for artists at all stages of their artistic journey.

The Retail Associate will assist customers at Ox-Bow House in Douglas, Michigan. The Associate assists with store operations, including helping customers with purchases and questions about Ox-Bow School of Art and Artist’s Residency. The Associate will help keep the store clean, organized, and aesthetically pleasing.  The Associate will report when inventory and/or supplies are running low. The Associate provides excellent customer service, representing Ox-Bow in a positive light and playing an important role in the store's overall success. The Associate will be a strong communicator who is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Ox-Bow’s programs and mission, and will be comfortable working both independently and as part of a team. The Associate works directly with the Retail & Program Manager, the Deputy Director, and other staff to ensure a cohesive working environment.

This position is 12 hours on average per week, but could be between 6-20 hours occasionally. The position will be set hours, ideally every Thursday and Saturday with the flexibility to cover other days as needed on occasion. Weekend availability is required. The position will be mainly report to Ox-Bow House in Douglas, but will require occasional support of events at our campus in Saugatuck.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Use Square POS system to ring up sales.


• Clean and organize stock.


• Clean and beautify the shop and surrounding outdoor areas.


• Answer questions about merchandise and Ox-Bow in general.


• Occasional support of retail and/or programming at Ox-Bow House as assigned by the Retail & Program Manager.


• Other project and event-based support as determined by the Retail & Program Manager and Deputy Director; including but not limited to office, housekeeping, maintenance, and hospitality support.

EDUCATION/JOB EXPERIENCE/CERTIFICATION

• Though previous retail experience is encouraged, anyone with a passion for art and customer service is welcome to apply.

SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of Square POS system preferred


• Experience in a variety of artistic mediums preferred


• High level of customer service


• Essential basic computer skills


• Effective and positive communicator


• Express enthusiasm for Ox-Bow’s mission


• Keen sense of professionalism


• Highly organized and reliable


• A savvy multi-tasker


• Comfortable taking creative risks


• Thrives in dynamic environments


• An eye for detail


• Must be a team player, able to work independently as well as in a group


• Must be innovative, reliable, patient, tenacious


• A passion for the arts preferred

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

Physical Demands:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be able to stand and walk for extended periods of time and be able to move about in indoor and outdoor environments.


• Operate computer, tools, and vehicles and must have the ability to use hands to move, set up, adjust, assemble, control, operate, or feel objects, tools or controls and reach with hands and arms.


• Must be able to traverse uneven terrain and stairs


• Constantly communicate and exchange information with team members and must be able to effectively communicate correct information


• Read/comprehend, write, communicate orally, reasoning, and analytical abilities, and mental flexibility


• Frequently move objects up to 30 pounds


• The employee will routinely climb, bend, squat, kneel, crouch, and reach above shoulder


• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus to compare and distinguish administrative data.


• Hearing ability to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking level with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and to make discriminations in sound.

Work Environment:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly working in an indoor retail space and some rustic, outdoor work environments, at times in high heat and humidity


• Working environments will sometimes involve hazardous materials and loud noise


• Requires wearing common protective and safety equipment.


• This position will involve work on weekends and holidays.
  
  

Working At Ox-Bow

Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency, founded in 1910, offers a wide range of opportunities for artists at all stages of their careers. Our campus is nestled on a peninsular interdunal wetland in Saugatuck, MI. With programs that target degree-seeking students, professional artists and those new to the field, Ox-Bow builds a supportive frame in which artists can push their practices in new directions. Ox-Bow’s community is expansive and ever-evolving. Working at Ox-Bow is a unique experience. Our staff consists of both year-round and seasonal positions. Some staff live on campus during their working months, while others commute or work remotely both within the state of Michigan and beyond. 

Working at Ox-Bow is working at the intersection of education, hospitality and culture. Together we seek to create a welcoming environment that nurtures the creative process while building community across generations, career stages, disciplines and identities. With over 100 years of arts education behind us, we have a vast community of alumni, including staff, students, resident artists, faculty, and community supporters, who love and care for Ox-Bow. Working at Ox-Bow is to become part of that community, and help sustain a historic non-profit arts organization for current and future generations of artists and art lovers. 

At Ox-Bow we have a vision to be a place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, lend their creativity, and work in support of an evolving, yet historic, art school. We pride ourselves on thinking and acting creatively, and recognize that part of what makes us a unique place for both our staff and students, is the talent and dedication of our employees. 

Ox-Bow is committed to diversity and inclusion, we believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity and national origin and work to reflect that in our classrooms, programming, faculty, staff and board.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists' Residency is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for its students, visitors, faculty, and staff, and to ensuring that educational and employment decisions are based on an individual’s abilities and qualifications. Ox-Bow does not tolerate unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or former military status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law, in its programs and activities, public accommodations or employment practices.