THE Holy Grail for every new business is to find its USP - that unique selling point that makes it stand out in the market.

With the wealth of talent on hand at Glasgow School of Art, the shop in Dalhousie Street doesn't have far to look.

From hand-crafted jewellery to ceramics, prints and silk scarves, many of the items for sale are exclusive and most are made by graduates of the school. In a world of mass-production it is an Aladdin's cave of covetable goodies.

"The Glasgow School of Art Collection effectively gives us the chance to showcase work from graduates, alumni and staff still working in the school," explains shop manger Julie Kelly.

"There's everything, from emerging graduates, people who are just coming out into the market to established names."

The shop is a feast for the eyes for any magpie. Jewellery designers Brazen have an exclusive collection, inspired by the school itself.

They took iconic images, such as the bird from the finial on the roof of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building, and crafted them into necklaces and earrings.

The burgeoning career of shop supervisor Tess McCafferty perfectly represents the nurturing relationship between the school and its graduates.

She works part-time in the shop while making her own jewellery, which is unique to the school shop.

Inspired by a discarded page from a book in the art school library, she makes individual pieces with a nod to the Victorian and Edwardian era.

Another range of enamel necklaces features tiny pieces of origami paper, packaged in a hand-made box made from the same paper.

"That is one of the roles of the shop: it cultivates new talent," says Tess.

New suppliers, like Tess, are often found by trawling through the names of former GSA students.

About once a year the shop also holds an open day, when it puts a call out for artists and designers to bring their work in to see if it would be right for the shop.

Their work is looked at by Julie and the shop staff and, if they feel it is right for the collection, they bring them on board.

"We work with students and graduates, talking to them about what we think will work for them commercially, but taking their design talent and inspiration and bringing the two together to something hopefully people will want to buy," says Julie.

"When they first come out of art school they're really into the design process but when it comes to bringing a product to market it can need a bit of guidance.

"We can say to them, think about these colourways or maybe a small collection of jewellery where there are five pieces in it and it all sits together as a range instead of sporadic pieces.

We give lots of support and advice to people, to help them not just supply us, but to help them take what they do to the wider market.

"We want them to be able to survive commercially and to do that they've got to have their work in as many places as possible."

Other ranges only available in the shop include Alice Dansey-Wright's whimsical screen-printed scarves, which are full of iconic images from around Glasgow, from the Riverside Museum to the Barrowland.

There are also ceramics by Karen Hanvidge, one of the school's most recent graduates. Handmade and hand painted, this could be the time to snap them up before she makes her name.

There's recognition of the design genius of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, of course, in the shape of laser cut hanging decorations made by GSA graduate Alice Jacobs, and a collaboration between the shop and designer Ella Doran with mugs, coasters and prints featuring the most striking parts of the Renfrew Street building.

With stock updated regularly, Julie promises an eclectic mix on the way in time for Christmas.

After that, shoppers should get ready to splash out in a new, larger store that will be set up inside the new building on Renfrew Street. Credit cards at the ready.

n The Glasgow School of Art shop, Dalhousie Street, Glasgow. www.gsa.ac.uk/visit-gsa/gsa-shop/online-shop/

angela.mcmanus@eveningtimes.co.uk