Have you been to The Pop-Up Club in Manchester yet?
Last weekend saw the launch of The Pop-Up Club’s latest location in King Street, Manchester, for summer 2021, offering a place on the high street for small business owners to reach a new range of customers with an array of handmade and unique products.
This is the newest of the retail shops opened by The Pop-Up Club, whose spaces cover locations such as Brighton and Chelmsford. The idea behind it is to turn empty retail spaces into a vibrant and enjoyable shopping experience which elevates a community of small businesses, as well as running their pop-up market events since launching in 2017.
Here at Pedddle, we can’t think of a better time for this to happen than now. As restrictions lift and high-street shopping starts to make its comeback, many are increasingly looking to support smaller businesses as they shop. How great to be able to experience an in-person shopping experience from a selection of independent traders. Especially as the line-up of businesses includes a few familiar faces; many of our fabulous Pedddle members!
What do stallholders think of The Pop-Up Club in Manchester?
We gathered the thoughts of our stallholders to find out how they’re feeling about the new opening and being a part of a high-street shop. Let’s take a look at what they had to say…
“I’m so excited to be stocked at The Pop-Up Club’s new shop in Manchester, with so many exciting makers taking part! I’m still pinching myself that I got in. I saw them asking for people to sign up for the Manchester store on one of their live market walks with Pedddle, so I had a look and thought YES, I’m going to apply, not really expecting to get it, so I was so excited when I got an invitation to join. This year for me is all about embracing opportunity!” – Sarah of Sister Sister
“I’m really happy to be part of The Pop-Up Club and feel so pleased because I know they have had many applicants for their shops! They said over five hundred! I saw The Pop-Up Club in London on Instagram and registered my interest with them before Christmas. Their Christmas shop looked fab. I actually didn’t expect to hear from them, but then I got the email about being chosen for Manchester. I’m in Scotland (just outside Glasgow) so Manchester isn’t local to me but I really want to see my products out there and being bought by a different demographic and not just on my Etsy shop! Having them stocked in Manchester is hopefully a way for me to increase my visibility.” – Nicola of The Adorned Page
While online selling has been vital for small businesses during the pandemic, customers will now have the chance to see products in person with the ease of having a wider selection of choice, and with a multitude of styles gathered in one place, there’ll be something for everyone!
For sellers, it’s also a much more cost effective way to reach new customers as part of a curated collection:
“I’m really enjoying being a part of The Pop-Up Club’s shops. They have great locations and to try and do it on your own would be really hard to achieve. It’s good to be part of a community of makers all selling together and being under the umbrella of The Pop-Up Club is great for social media too, as it helps to find other suppliers and grow your own following!” – Kay of Rhubarb Tree
“I liked the idea of joining loads of other makers in a different city to see how my stuff would sell. When I do fairs, I usually sell pretty well in Manchester and same with previous pop up shops, so it made sense to sign up with The Pop-Up Club, who were a new company to me – I heard of them through Pedddle actually, and have recommended them to other makers now. Also the financial investment is a lot lower if you’re part of a collaboration, which is obviously a great incentive too!” – Natasha of Lyon and Feather
“I actually saw The Pop Up Club on one of Pedddle’s live Instagram chats and saw that they were going to be opening up a store in Manchester. I had previously been looking into pop-up shops as a way to get my products out there, so when I saw this I jumped at the chance! I think that it provides an amazing opportunity for small creative businesses to be visible and get products in a place they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to. Also it introduces you to a new customer base.
After the last 12 months, it feels great to get out there again and have hope and opportunities. I think now more than ever, we need to try and get back that sense of community spirit, especially with our local shops. I’m not stocked in any other shops, and have been mostly selling online since the pandemic hit. I also didn’t want to approach shops while they were having such an awful time with lockdown, as it just didn’t feel like the right time.” – Lisa of Little Hotch
For makers like Joel from Something From the Turnery, selling in shops across the country is not a new venture, but an opportunity to increase visibility and reach more customers:
“I’m stocked in a handful of lovely places across the country, such as Prior Shop, Bellwoods and Studio Ashay. I’m really excited about being a part of The Pop Up-Club‘s community as it’s the first time I’ve taken part in a Pop-Up shop. I love the idea of showcasing my designs alongside lots of other makers in a space that would often otherwise be out of reach for us on such a high end shopping street in central Manchester. I think it’s a really strong opportunity to introduce ourselves to new potential customers and seems to be going great so far!”
The opening of stores like this means shoppers will be able to see the high quality and sustainable crafts that small businesses have to offer and they become much more accessible on the high-street. The future is looking bright, as Natasha of Lyon Feather puts it:
“From seeing the store when setting up, it seems that it’s been curated amazingly, each maker compliments everybody else and the organisers have obviously really thought about it, so I’m confident that this will be a great success – it’s a great location, people are starting to leave the house again and feel a sense of norm, so if you’re able to do this whilst also supporting independents, then fab!”.
See you there!
The Pop-Up Club in Manchester is well worth a visit – say hello if you spot any of the Pedddle team there! Happy shopping.
Article last updated June 2021.