I’ve been slacking on YouTube recently, but I finally uploaded a worthwhile video for all of you who visit my blog to learn more about starting your own online boutique! The video is all about pop-up shops and how to set one up if it’s your first time doing one.
I also go over why I started doing pop-ups in addition to running my online store, what you’ll need for a pop-up shop, and how to go about setting it up. I even take you on a tour of my most recent pop-up and show you exactly how I display everything. Check out the full video below!
Just to give you an idea of how far I’ve come when it comes to pop-up shops, check out the two photos below that show my very first pop-up shop vs. my most recent pop-up.
I only had about two days to get everything ready for my first ever pop-up because I only learned two days prior to the event that I would be participating. Another vendor dropped out, and I was given the spot last minute! It was a complete scramble to get everything ready – I didn’t even have clothing racks because I stored all of my inventory in my guest room in our old apartment and just hung them in the walk-in closet! So it was a mad dash to get everything necessary to have an in-person shop for the weekend – but we did it! When I say ‘we,’ I’m referring to my husband and I, because he helped me with the first four or so pop-ups that I did (yes, he’s amazing).
Just to list a few of the major changes I’ve made from my very first pop-up to my most recent one:
- The most obvious – signage. Check out the gold balloons I have in the first photo (still love them!) and also missing from the photo is a chalkboard sign that had my boutique’s full name on it. But I’ve made an obvious upgrade when you look at the second photo and see our neon sign on the huge backdrop wall that my husband made for me.
- A dressing room. This also comes with a larger space, since it’s not the most efficient to include a dressing room if you only have a small space. It’s much better to include more clothes so your customers have a variety of options! However now that I’ve upgraded to a larger space, it’s great to be able to offer my customers a changing room, as many women prefer to try something on before buying it.
- Open concept. Notice how I have a table up front in the first photo, but the table is missing in the second photo. While it’s somewhat of an inconvenience to me and my employees because we don’t have a designated checkout space, it’s much better for the customers, as they have more room to move around, it allows more people to enter my space, and it looks more inviting than an entryway that is partially blocked off.
Those are three of the biggest changes I’ve made, but I’ve really changed how I go about pop-ups almost entirely. I’d be happy to share everything I bring to my current pop-ups in a second video if there’s any interest, so stay tuned if that’s something you’d want to learn about! Feel free to comment on this post or on my video if you’d be interested. As long as some interest is shown, then I will most likely make the video to share more knowledge.
As always, thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to check out my YouTube video that goes into even greater detail of my pop-ups, plus gives you a tour of my largest and most recent one!
liz puglise 