A temporary, mobile retail event is the right fit for some buyers and sellers.
Pull up to the Lucky Dog T-Shirt / Coconino Metalsmith Pop-Up Sale and see why it’s a hit. Hot cider and cold drinks flow. Sweet treats are on offer. A fire pit is surrounded by casual revelers. Old friends as well as tourists come and go, drawn in by custom cutting boards, metal work and unique t-shirts and hoodies as much as by the friendly vibes. Set up in their friends’ front yard just up the street from the Flagstaff Public Library, the sixth annual outing for married couple Julia McCullough and Sam Dauderman is their holiday party for local family.
Defined as a “short-term sales event … often to latch onto a scheduled event,” pop-up shops are being employed by small businesses and corporations alike. They generate interest, present a change of venue and even give back. For some, it’s a one-off to create a buzz. For others, it’s an annual, planned, targeted drive. Or, as Sam described, “It’s always awesome, but for a different reason.”
Compare their approach with Darcy Falk, who helped create the Flagstaff Handmade Collective (flagstaffhandmade.com), eight female artisans banding together for common cause. Their annual Handmade Holiday Market evolved to its current form in 2017, the year Julia and Sam’s sale began. Then they hit the High Country Motor Lodge last December. Though the group wasn’t sure what to expect at their new venue, they opened shop with a crowd already lined up.
Through the years, Julia and Sam’s pop-up has seen many iterations. When Sam had her own workshop, they held it there. During the pandemic, the party moved outside. Now they’re happily at their friends’, kicking it with their community as much as moving units.
“We have cool stuff people want to buy. It’s fun and it’s all our friends,” Sam explained. For small businesses like hers (coconinometalsmith.com) and Julia’s, it also covers a lot of ground at once. “Instead of chasing money, I can sell two years’ worth of stuff in three hours, as well as take in new commissions.”
Julia added, “It takes a lot of time and money to branch into other markets. A pop-up is very direct consumerism.”
Having a sale around a holiday, anniversary or just throwing a party and inviting the masses gets the word out. “This town is really cool in the way it supports people,” she said. “A pop-up serves the purpose of breaking the rules a little.”
Customers may know Darcy better as Tallulah Arthead, maker of oilcloth market bags, hand-painted journal covers, fortune bookmarks, or as she puts it, “Everything I sell.” She’s built online retail (tallulaharthead.com) and wholesale accounts at Bright Side Bookshop, among others. Then business took a turn. “Handmade Holiday Market grew organically,” she said. “We all take work very seriously and are committed to quality, craftsmanship and presentation. Our customers know and love us. We’re all women, all friends, all connected.”
There are a lot of holiday sales out there with rules about fees, commissions and responsibilities. “I prefer our way,” Darcy said. “We share work and expenses between us. We control the marketing, style and feel of the sale. And it’s a ton of work!”
That work is paying off and producing other dividends, like raising money for Threaded Together and awareness about WENA (Women Empowering Northern Arizona). Though there are always pros and cons to pop-ups – skip the expense of retail space yet miss the foot traffic – Darcy’s work with Flagstaff Handmade is a welcome break from the life of a solitary creative, “I call it ‘rotating crops,’” she said, “It allows me to switch gears and do all the things I love.”
Back at the Pop-Up, the fire is dying down, yet Sam and Julia are walking away from this year’s outing inspired to create new things only available at their next holiday sale. “We care more about people feeling good about the product than how much money we make,” Julia said. “You don’t have to buy anything, just come.” FBN
By Billy Miller, FBN
Photo by Billy Miller: Darcy Falk creates and sells products such as oilcloth market bags, hand-painted journal covers and fortune bookmarks.