Pop-Ups: Short-term Shopping Opportunities
Pop-ups, businesses that plan to come and go from a shop front location in a short period of time, have increased in popularity over the years. This type of shop is essentially reimagined from the classic market style shopping experience where businesses have stalls up for a day or a weekend once a month. Pop-up shops can be beneficial for the community, expanding the opportunity and experience of shopping local. A pop-up shop usually takes advantage of a vacant shop, while the property owner is looking for a longer-term tenant that offers them more security or while a property owner is waiting for permits to develop a site.
Places can pop-up as a retail shop for fashion, stock clearances, crafts or season specific events such as Christmas, Halloween or Spring Races. A pop-up could also be used as a business trial, an event space for an art gallery, music, dance or theatre performance, promotion or product launches for businesses that already have an online presence. The possibilities are seemingly endless.
As of early October, Kerrie Stanley has done just this, opened a pop-up shop at 848 Glenferrie Road where she is selling hats for the Spring Races, as well as offering her hair and makeup services and hosting workshops.
Kerrie says it can be difficult to find a space for a pop-up shop, often landlords and real estate agents would prefer a tenant to sign a longer lease. Kerrie sees pop-ups as an “untapped market” in many areas. Perhaps offering short-term leases for pop-ups could bring something new and exciting to the street.
This is Kerrie’s third year selling millenary on Glenferrie Road, she says if possible she’ll continue to come here before the races each year. Previously having a pop-up in Armadale she’s found the locals and customers of Glenferrie are perfect for her product with many MLC and Xavier mums walking past daily.
Pop-ups are often destination shops and social media or client email lists are a way of informing customers of a new and short-term location. Pop-ups can create somewhat of an event like feeling, giving people an end date urges immediate attendance. Kerrie is seeing the same customers she had visit her shop next to Osteria 20 last year, coming back to her new space this year.
Claire from Mind Games has also had experience with pop-ups. Three years ago she opened a toy shop pop-up for Christmas across the street from Mind Games. For 11 weeks the pop-up was open and went very well, although “hard work” says Claire. She found that because it was temporary, you didn’t get the same word-of-mouth customers other long-term shops receive. Overall, she enjoyed the experience and learned a lot about business.
If pop-ups fill some of the vacant shops in the area, this will enhance the shop local experience and likely bring a whole new set of customers to the area who will no doubt explore the other great stores, facilities and spaces we have in Glenferrie Hawthorn.
