Pop-Up Shop Success

This past weekend I participated in my first pop-up shop…as a vendor! My SoLayne beauties were asked to be part of a local pop-up shop at the Taubman Prestige Outlets in St Louis.

Pop-up shops are quickly becoming the latest trend to hit retail. What is a pop-up? It’s a boutique that quite literally pops up in a space for a short period of time. Usually they are local, small, often hand-crafted, vendors who can’t afford the overhead of a retail space but have an awesome brand to share with the world! So a large space like a fair grounds or an outlet mall will invite these awesome little brands into their space for a short period of time. It’s a win win for everyone! The consumer gets to see new brands and new products, the vendor gets the experience of meeting their customers without a long term commitment to overhead, and the big retailer gets to use local, small brands to attract people into their space. Win, win, win. It is similar to the home party concept of MaryKay and Tupperware but now on a somewhat larger scale. LuLaRoe uses the same approach with their pop-up shops that can be set up any time and any place. It really is a cool concept if you think about it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok – now that you’re schooled on what is a pop-up {and I only did that because I had like 10 people ask me to define “pop-up shop” this past weekend} — how did I get to be part of it? Well, back in February, the GM of the outlets reached out to me. She found me on ETSY with the location of my shop and asked if I would like to be part of their space. Of course my answer was yes and the rest is history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The preparation was the tricky part. I had no clue how much product to bring. The pop-up was located in a very nice outlet mall across from Gap and Polo. And at one point we were told that 10k people pass through Polo each weekend….I’m fairly certain that was very much exaggerated ha ha. But that number alone had me losing sleep on a nightly basis. I worked my booty off for a few months cranking out new products and stocking up on supplies. I have to be honest, I did bring in a few reinforcements to help me duplicate some necklaces and bracelets! But a few weeks before the show another shop owner and friend, Keisha of QUO boutique, stopped by to check out the shop. She sent me a video of the space…full of inventory and empty of people. Oh my! We both spent a few moments via text freaking out, wondering if we were over prepared. To be honest (again), my efforts slowed drastically at that point. I didn’t want to continue killing myself to crank out product for no customers. But then in the back of my mind I didn’t want to be under prepared and miss a huge opportunity.  This slight hesitation ended up being both good and bad. I ended up having JUST the right amount of product although my attitude towards the weekend was pathetic. But when the weekend hit, I was pleasantly surprised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived to set up on Thursday and I was instantly pumped. Exhausted from a 15.5 hour drive and moving back into our house, but none the less, PUMPED! I was in this gorgeous store front space with two amazing clothing boutiques, QUO and Leopard. Both local to St Louis and owned by bad ass girl bosses. There we were, 3 women, who have gone out on a limb and started our own things! Rachel, the owner of Leopard, who is a ball of pregnant energy and looks killer doing it, was nothing shy of amazing! She has had great success with Leopard and spent the next 3 days talking us through the last 5 years of owning her own business, being a wife and a mom, transitioning from one store front to two, and encouraging us to keep plugging along and believing in our dreams! Keisha, the owner of QUO, and I met 3 years ago when I moved to St Louis and started working in a dental office. She was the office manager and has since moved her way up in the company. She too, is a ball of energy, and we hit it off from day one! We’ve stayed in contact via social media and my sporadic work I do with their company. Last fall when I announced my little ETSY shop was open, she immediately texted informing me that her online boutique was opening in a few weeks. Literally, within 1 month of each other we both launched our own start up businesses. Throughout the last 9 months we’ve picked each others brains, collaborated, supported, and encouraged each other! It has been the coolest, most coincidental journey! (oh and not to mention that I adore her shop – her brands are unique but timeless and of really good quality)

So as you can imagine, the weekend was GREAT fun! Rachel said it herself, “This is like a girls slumber party! We’re all giddy for each other.” ha ha. As obnoxious as that sounds, it is so true! We ran the space like it was all one big boutique. No competition between brands and products. Just genuine excitement for the space. It was thrilling to see people walk by, peek in the window, and come in asking “What is this? This is awesome!” When you go to the outlet expecting to get your $5 basic tee at Gap and you come out to find a unique boutique, with local vendors it’s quite the pleasant surprise. People were pumped up to see something like this in a big box retail space. And what’s better than the chance to shop 3 boutique brands in one space!

The best part of the whole weekend, other than seeing people excited about MY jewelry, was the networking. If nothing else, this weekend taught me that if you put yourself out there, in a space that you are passionate about, you will connect with similar people.  I made like 4+ new friends this weekend! Sounds juvenile, but I’m pumped about it! ha ha. This adorable couple started talking with Keisha while trying on clothes and we discovered that they too are from NC. Went to a neighbor college, lived in a town where most all of my friends now live, and just relocated to St Louis. And they LOVE it here.  I asked them to teach me their ways. ha ha. It feels cool just to have people from your part of the country in the same space! So of course I got the girls number so we can hang out 🙂 I also met Sarah, an adorable chick who happened to mention that she just started a blog! (check it out here) Like WHAT? We chatted FOR EVER and are meeting up next week for coffee. I also met a gorgeous dental hygienist who retired yesterday after 30+ years because she took the reins to become her own boss B* selling amazing hair products. After a few years as a direct sells rep she is able to retire from her career to do something she is truly passionate about! And last, but not least, I FINALLY had the chance to meet two of my adorable brand reps in person! Two gorgeous little fashionistas who love my brand and wear it oh-so-well! They picked my brain about where/how SLD started {which will be a blog post for another day}, where I get my design inspiration from, and where I want my business to go in the future. Nothing is more exhilarating than seeing other people excited for YOUR THING!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say, I left this weekend ON FIRE for SoLayne Designs. On fire to be a female entrepreneur and excited for new friendships and connections here in St Louis. Thank you to EVERYONE who came out to the pop-up and ALL of you who sent messages and comments saying that you wished you lived closer! The goal is to get SLD into shops somewhere close to ALL of you!

xoxo

Meghan