Pop-up Shops have been around for years. A concept usually found in larger towns and cities, they’ve long been rolled out to the masses and are certainly not a new idea. In more recent years, they’ve become a ‘cool’ concept in cities and a place to be seen, allowing smaller brands to be discovered and incentivising shoppers with limited-time-only offerings.
However, post-pandemic, we think they are more important than ever before. We explore the benefits for small businesses, how to discover local pop-ups near you, and why pop-ups benefit us all.
The benefits of Pop Up Shops and marketplaces
As we all know, we work better together. Covid forced us to work together and combine our efforts in many different ways – and now we must do the same thing to ensure the British economy thrives, and shop in a different way.
Shopping habits changed vastly over the pandemic. Online shopping and online events have been around for a while now, and the shopping marketplace will definitely be a hybrid one of in-person and online events in future.
Pop-ups allow a variety of businesses to come together and offer something to their local community. Pop-ups are often for a limited time only, incentivising shoppers to come down quickly and shop so they don’t miss out on discovering something unique and wonderful.
It’s all about collaboration – pop-up shops showcase a number of different brands, allowing them the opportunity to reach one another’s audiences and gain a whole new set of customers. It also lets small businesses sell at bigger locations they might not have been able to reach – High Street shop rates are notoriously expensive, but renting shelf space means they can access better footfall and showcase their wares to more people.
However, pop-ups are suffering from a lack of support – and the onus is on us as customers to discover what’s out there in our local area. In the wake of Covid, online shopping has been essential for many and easy for all of us, but it’s important to also discover what’s out there in person, wherever possible, and support our local communities and businesses.
How do I discover Pop Ups near me?
Pedddle’s market timeline is a great place to start.
The Pedddle team recently took a trip to Design 44, who offer shelf space to makers at their shops in Staffordshire. Click here to find out more. This kind of pop-up marketplace provides a great opportunity for local independent businesses.
Robyn at The Village Pop Up hosts pop-ups in and around Hertfordshire. Keep an eye out for their future events, which include markets and pop-ups.
Priormade is another great design space and shop, with Beck from Priormade showcasing her own design work alongside others.
The Pop-Up Club have shops and events in Chelmsford, London’s Seven Dials and Manchester, offering space to makers and independent businesses all over the UK. Click here to find out more about the Pop-Up Club in our interview with founder Tillie.
There are so many pop-ups, temporary shops and shelf spaces right in the heart of our lovely towns and High Streets – and long may this continue. They are just waiting to be discovered!
Why shop locally?
Covid has inspired a mindset shift in many of us – we all want to economy to recover and thrive, quickly. We all need to be supporting our own local area, our own communities. Shopping locally means that our money stays within our local area, funding small businesses, providing a wage for local workers, and making our own living area far better for ourselves as much as anyone!
Before the internet and online shopping, before Covid and distancing concerns, before our culture of ease and convenience, the generation before us shopped locally, from their local butcher or baker, from small shops. We need to return to those values, and support small businesses that are right on our own doorstep.
Check out our blog for 7 reasons that shopping small is so brilliant.
How can we shop locally?
It’s not just about buying luxuries and gifts from local makers – it’s about thinking about local businesses for the every day. Need soap for your bathroom? Search our stallholders and see which soap makers live near you.
Looking for a something to do at the weekend? There are lots of markets and events in your area, which often provide live music, entertainment, children’s activities and dog-friendly spaces – so you can support local event organisers as well as small businesses – and then more event organisers will be encouraged into your area, too. Shopping locally is a win for all of us, and pop-ups and limited-edition events are a great way of supporting this ethos.