In March of this year, Forbes called pop-up shops the uberization of retail, a trend that is sweeping the U.S. in everything from vacation rentals to album releases to, yes, Uber. In other words, more and more entities are offering services on demand, direct from supplier to customer. Pop-up retailers, for example, aren't tied to a permanent location (or the expenses that entails), often setting up temporarily in established storefronts willing to share their space, like Macy's and Facebook are doing this holiday season.
"It's definitely fun and a good thing to do this time of year," says Adelaide Naumann, owner of local gift box curator Divine Goods.
She is among a growing number of local retailers jumping on the trend as holiday shopping heats up.
Launched in January 2017, Naumann's online business typically ships themed collections of products - local Walden Ridge Honey and San Francisco's McEvoy Ranch Estate Produced Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 15 Year Aged Balsamic Vinegar, for example - to clients across the country. But this season, the home-based business is also setting up shop in the Lookout Mountain studio of artist Billy Parker.
With roughly 30 years in retail, Naumann says she "could stand up in a retail store all day," but saw e-commerce (and the ability to work out of her basement) as the future. Now, she says, the future is looking like a blend of the two.
"I would love a brick-and-mortar store, but I think November and December are perfect [for that]. Then I will focus on the online side the rest of the year," Naumann says.
For fellow first-time pop-up operator Michelle Workman, an interior designer who moved here from L.A. five years ago, her retail offshoot may become more permanent. Though, that was never her intention.
POP ON IN
Michelle Workman Interiors» When: Tuesday-Saturday until at least Jan. 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.» Where: 100A McFarland Road, Lookout Mountain, Ga.Divine Goods and Thread and Ink» When: Monday-Saturday through Dec. 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.» Where: 116 N. Watauga Lane, Lookout Mountain, Tenn.Shoppers are also invited to stop by for a glass of wine from 5-7 p.m. and browse the following additional vendors on select nights:» Vivienne Walker: Dec. 3» K. Wakefield Designs and India Hicks: Dec. 4» Noonday Collection: Dec. 6» Miss Ann’s Happies: Dec. 13» Tickled Ink Paperie: date TBD
"Somebody asked me in the very beginning when I was gonna open my store. They said that's what a lot of the designers do here, and I said, 'No, I don't think so,'" Workman says, adding, "We'll be here until Jan. 15 - unless it's so amazing that we're like 'That would be dumb [to close it].'"
While some businesses use the model to get their name out without the burden of overhead expenses, Workman and Naumann gravitated to the trend due to an abundance of inventory (and, of course, holiday shoppers). Both say they pick up items that catch their eye throughout their daily and professional lives and travel. For Workman, that could mean décor from Morocco or high-end upcycled pieces from Parisian flea markets.
"I've had an online shop for years, but if you can [physically] put it in front of people, it's like, wow," says Workman, who was surprised by the number of sales in her pop-up shop's first week alone and says she's also gained new clients for her primary design business. "It's really hard [online] with big pieces of furniture. People don't really want to buy over the internet unless it's like Wayfair, where if you hate it you can return it or it's only $200 so it's no big deal." (Even Wayfair is hosting its first pop-up shops this season.)
Beyond the new clients a physical, local presence brings in, Naumann says she has also met new vendors and formed new partnerships - so much so that her temporary space is no longer just her own.
"We've got pop-ups within our pop-up," she says, noting that local monogrammer Thread and Ink is co-hosting the pop-up's run. "It keeps getting the name out there and getting the word out."
Workman, too, is coordinating with complementary artisans to offer a more robust shopping experience.
"Every person that walks in is like, 'We're so happy you're doing it,' like, 'We needed this here, thank you for doing this,'" Workman says.
And that kind of word of mouth is what makes Chattanooga such a prime market for pop-ups, she adds.
"I think the environment lends itself to easy promotion. It's a small city and people are super-friendly and so they talk about things going on," Workman says. "Promoting [in L.A.] is like shouting into the wind - or a tornado, I should say. And here, it's like a soft breeze. Your voice carries."