To Pop-up or Not........

Exclusive Couture from Tattered Rose

This is one of the outfits we had at the St. Albert based Sarasota Show Homes Pop-up event this past weekend......we were in the master bedroom.

It was something I've wanted to try for some time, or should I say try again. You see, many years ago, with my "western" shop there were many occasions that I travelled with my husband at the time, to set up at various locations and pow wows to sell our wares and expand the customer base. It worked quite well but I hated it. I hated the packing up, the set-up and take-down every day, the standing there for long days of talking to so many people my head was spinning.....And then there was the packing up again and unpacking back at the store once we returned. It was exhausting and a LOT of hard work. I am by nature a quiet, shy person so this was WAY beyond overload for my sensitive soul.

BUT, it did work for the business. It allowed us to sell and make money and garner new customers who didn't know about the bricks & mortar shop in Winnipeg, called Way Out West. Many of them became repeat customers.

When that marriage/partnership was over, so was my pop-up existence for it was never me who wanted to do them.

Time has passed and when a recent opportunity came about to be part of this collective of local vendors at Sarasota Homes in St. Albert, well I thought "Why not give it a shot?" So I did. Thankfully, my wonderful husband (a different one from the time I owned my western shop) helped me load and unload the clothing and props I had chosen to represent Tattered Rose, the bricks & mortar store located in Edmonton.

The results?

That's complicated but for this venue, it was obvious that I wasn't there to merely sell small trinkets. My main intention was to meet new people and potential new customers. Most people going through the show homes were there for both the homes & the vendors, to buy small things like jewellery but they weren't really looking to buy couture or other clothing.

I met new people, handed out business cards, got a few new names for our monthly newsletter and sold a few smaller things. I do not consider it a mistake because it was something I had to do. However, I realized that it really isn't my cup of tea.

I like being in my beautiful shop, greeting and chatting with customers who want to be there. You can tell at a glance what I am selling and it isn't only about things...it is about much more than that, for me. It's personal, it's not just business.

♥