Why You Should Open a Pop-Up Store (And 7 Location Ideas to Get You Started)

Why you should open
up a Pop-Up Store
+ 7 location ideas to get you started
Wednesday, 28 May, 14

Successful online store
Strong brand & community
Big audience & support on
social media
Let’s look at your business

So, what’s next?

How about extending the
reach of your business
into the world of
real-life physical retail?

Sound scary?
It doesn’t have to be.

Get yourself a
Pop-Up Shop

What is it?
A pop-up shop is a temporary
retail setting that can last
from a day or up to as much
as three months.

What is it?
Sell your products without the headaches
of committing to a lease, managing a
swarm of employees, or thinking about
how to consistently drive loads of foot
traﬃc to your doorstep.

Where do you start?
It’s all about location. And that’s what
we’ll be covering that here.

Location #1
A Store-
Within-a-
Store

Location #1
A Store-
Within-a-
Store
Take a good look at your products
and the customers you sell to and
make a list of all the small
businesses or boutique retail
stores who you think would make
excellent partners. Approach them
with a simple pitch, you’ll help
oﬀset one of their biggest
expenses, rent, in return for some
shelf or counter space.

Location #1
A Store-
Within-a-
Store
Obviously, you’ll want to ﬁnd
stores that sell complementary
products, not necessarily
competing products. For example,
if you sell handbags, you could
scout a women’s apparel store that
doesn’t carry it’s own line.

Location #1
A Store-
Within-a-
Store
The benefits of this scenario are
plenty, you typically get move-in
ready space that requires minimal
setting up while getting access to
the store’s existing foot traffic.
Meanwhile, the existing store
owner will save on rent while
generating new foot traffic from
the the buzz you help create.

Location #2
Gallery
or Event
Space

Not only will these spaces be
aesthetically pleasing to the
senses, more often than not, you
be sure they’re well seasoned
when it comes to small business
owners opening a pop up store.
Location #2
Gallery
or Event
Space

That means you get access to their
weathered list of do’s and don’ts,
in addition to a network of other
pop up store owners who’ll be
more than happy to share their
lessons learned.
Location #2
Gallery
or Event
Space

You might even be able to hold
parties or cocktail hours for your
best customers. If you’re lucky,
you’ll also be able to better plan
your venture into analog selling
by being able to book in advance,
however, you’ll want to keep your
eyes out on prime-time dates for
your target market.
Location #2
Gallery
or Event
Space

Location #3
Farmer’s
Market

You’d be hard-pressed to ﬁnd
anyone who doesn’t love farmer’s
market. In fact, you’d know if
you’ve been to any that it’s
probably one of those rare public
occasions where you’d ﬁnd so
many people relaxed, chatting,
and smiling while shopping.
Location #3
Farmer’s
Market

A few things to consider before
setting up shop at your local
farmer’s market is to check their
vendor requirements and what kind
of commitment they require.
Location #3
Farmer’s
Market

It’s also a good idea to speak with
some of the existing vendors,
especially if you know any
personally, about their experience
and what they’d recommend for
getting started.
Location #3
Farmer’s
Market

Location #4
Arts &
Crafts Fairs

They go by many names, festivals,
fairs, or marketplaces, these events
can be a great avenue to explore
when setting oﬀ on selling in the
physical world.
Location #4
Arts &
Crafts Fairs

Not only are they visited by people
who love and adore boutique,
unique, and personalized apparel,
accessories, and crafts that small
business owners like you sell, they
love the idea of supporting
grassroots and local companies.
Location #4
Arts &
Crafts Fairs

Again, you’ll probably want to
gander at the website to obtain all
the logistical details upfront, such
as the cost, commitment, and
spots available.
Location #4
Arts &
Crafts Fairs

You’ll probably want to take
advantage of their first-come, first
serve policy when it comes to booth
placement to secure a high-traffic
spot in addition to chatting with
vendors who go every year and
what their experience has been.
Location #4
Arts &
Crafts Fairs

Location #5
Other
Mass
Gatherings

Maybe the crowd you’re targeting
doesn’t frequent local art and craft
fairs. Based on your knowledge of
your target demographic you’ll want
to check out a wide assortment of
other possibilities.
Location #5
Other
Mass
Gatherings

I’m talking music festivals, concerts,
sporting events, races, ﬁtness
expos, and any other mass
gathering you can think of where
what you sell would be appealing
for those going there.
Location #5
Other
Mass
Gatherings

Location #5
Other
Mass
Gatherings
Make sure to do your due diligence
once again, but these type of public
events can be boon if you know
your customers well enough to
know where they like to hang out
on their off time. Help them find you
and build your offline customer
base one event at a time.

Location #6
Shopping
Center or
Mall

The local mall is the hallmark of
consumerism and a staple for
retailers both big and small to
take advantage of the massive
foot traﬃc they bring with them.
But wait, how are you going to
set-up shop in a mall of all places?
Location #6
Shopping
Center or
Mall

Generally, you’ll have two options.
You can go with renting a kiosk or
booth space that allows you to set
up shop right in the middle of the
action, or you can look at vacant
in-line stores that the shopping
center may reserve just for pop
ups or has had a hard time renting
out for a long time period.
Location #6
Shopping
Center or
Mall

Though probably less-cost eﬀective
than the other locations mentioned
above, this would deﬁnitely be ideal
for those who have a certain
degree of experience selling in
retail environments.
Location #6
Shopping
Center or
Mall

Location #7
Vacant
Street Level
Retail Space

The holy grail of commerce is
having your very own thriving street
level retail space. Though perhaps
a distant reality for many smaller
ecommerce store owners it can
sometimes be a reality if the right
opportunity presents itself.
Location #7
Vacant
Street Level
Retail Space

Meaning a vacant commercial
property that may typically be used
for pop up stores or the commercial
real-estate agent is having trouble
selling and so will settle for more
short-term engagements.
Location #7
Vacant
Street Level
Retail Space

Not only will you have the ultimate
control over your retail environment,
you’ll be playing in the big leagues
for a chance to test the waters for
prime time.
Location #7
Vacant
Street Level
Retail Space

Though you’ll probably want to
save this after you’ve done a fair bit
of experimenting with the options
listed above, it’s a fair assumption
that with enough experience, you’ll
be ready to run your own
successful retail store.
Location #7
Vacant
Street Level
Retail Space

Get more free physical retail marketing advice on the Shopify blog:
http://www.shopify.com/blog

Why You Should Open a Pop-Up Store (And 7 Location Ideas to Get You Started)

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