In the Beginning

charrette (noun): the little cart used to collect students' drawings at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris during the 19th century. According to historical accounts, the students, rushing to meet a deadline, would jump onto the cart to add their finishing touches. Over the years, the meaning of the word "charrette" has evolved to denote this final, intensive effort to finish a project before a deadline. For two architectural students at Harvard University, the difficulty they faced finding all the materials needed to build models and make presentations called this word to mind on more than one occasion.

From Vision to Reality

So in 1964, these two recent graduates set about providing architects, commercial artists, and other designers with a convenience they had never had: a single source for all design supplies and equipment. They started small with 224 square feet of space in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and, within a few months, they had acquired a large student following and an increasing number of customers from the architectural and engineering fields. In fact, business was doing so well that they expanded to a 1600 square-foot-store in Harvard Square just one year later.

And the rest is history. In 1969, the first Charrette catalog was published. In 1970, the first office/store opened in New York. In 1977, the headquarters in Woburn, MA were opened, including a facility combining corporate offices, a retail store, and a 200,000 square foot warehouse. In 1991, Charrette expanded to the Midwest, and today, the company has 17 locations throughout the United States. In 2006, Charrette was acquired by and operates as a division of the Pitman Company.

Charrette Today

Charrette is still committed to providing imaging solutions from design to print. Charrette has embraced the explosion of different imaging and printing technologies, and now, in addition to traditional design products, offers a full range of imaging equipment and digital tools. The company continues to grow and currently has 40,000 inventoried items and availability to more than 100,000 products overall.
Its online catalog is also expanding, now offering more than 10,000 searchable design products. Charrette's web site, which offers one-click access and a clearance section for the price-conscious shopper, is designed to make the shopping experience a simple, fast, and intuitive process.