Events Firm Makes Time for Temporary Stores

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Events Firm Makes Time for Temporary Stores
Timely: Aleksandra Pesic

By SUBRINA HUDSON Staff Reporter

Fashions come and go and even the stores that sell them can disappear quickly – thanks to the pop-up shop concept. These temporary stores, which are typically open for a couple of days, have evolved from a novelty to a staple in the retail business.

So Aleksandra Pesic and Nicole Muyingo saw a business in creating pop-up fashion and art events with their company, Everwish Events, which will launch next week with its first pop-up event in Santa Monica.

Pesic said the idea for their Santa Monica company came from the explosion of online flash-sale Internet sites. She thought pop-ups would cater to the same shoppers, only better because buyers would see the merchandise in real life and fashion leaders could meet their customers.

“I started to see the retail business change,” said Pesic. “The explosion of all the flash-sales sites started to be saturated. So, we took this concept out of the virtual world and really made it about community and to have more of a one-on-one interaction.”

Everwish wants to make the pop-up shopping experience more intimate starting with its first event Sept. 4 at the Victorian, a distinctive event space in Santa Monica. The converted two-story venue is often used for weddings and features an outdoor patio shaded by large trees decorated with lights and a chandelier.

Shoppers will be able to sip champagne and enjoy appetizers while purchasing items from brands such Giving Keys, a Lincoln Heights accessory line; Good Hyouman, a downtown L.A. clothing brand; and EJH Brand in Venice, which sells luxury candles and stationery. Beverly Hills hair salon Twist by Oliver will also be offering guests blowouts. Cost to attend the one-day event is $35.

Elana Joelle Hendler, founder of EJH, noted that she normally sells only online and wholesale, so she doesn’t get much of a chance to get reactions from shoppers. She’ll be introducing a travel collection at the Sept. 4 event.

“As a brand you get to see how customers are responding to different fragrances, to different styles and you get really good feedback you wouldn’t otherwise get,” said Hendler.

Artistic roots

Pesic, who was president of Sway Showroom, a former downtown L.A. showcase for clothing manufacturers, and Muyingo, vice president of monthly gallery promotion event Venice Art Crawl, co-founded Everwish this month.

Pesic said she paid the startup costs out of pocket along with help from a private investor. She declined to disclose the amount, but expects Everwish to break even after its second pop-up event, which will be during Fashion Week in October.

Events will feature 25 to 40 vendors. The company will make money three ways: ticket sales, renting space to merchants and commissions from sample sales. Everwish will bring in brands offering their clothing in a sample-sale space even though they won’t pay rent because they’ll serve as a draw for the ticket sales.

The company’s plan is to stage four to six large pop-up shops throughout Los Angeles in addition to smaller events. For example, for a large event, Pesic could rent an estate and throw a backyard barbeque-themed pop-up shop.

“It’s kind of a combination of a pop-up sample sale, a trade show and a party,” she said.

The concept of launching an event company staging pop-ups is unusual. More common are companies that specialize in helping retailers find short-term leases for the temporary shops. For example, Storefront in New York, described as the Airbnb of pop-up shops, recently raised $7.3 million from venture capital firm Spark Capital of Boston. Last year, Storefront raised $1.6 million in seed funding.

Pesic and Muyingo see that as evidence that the world of pop-ups is gaining in popularity. Muyingo, who has created art pop-up events prior to working with Pesic, said they offers brands face time with customers.

“Many brands have amazing product but they can’t necessarily afford a retail space,” said Muyingo. “This allows them to be able to promote themselves and get the exposure they need. It’ll only continue to get bigger, just like how food trucks have become huge, so will this similar concept of having temporary outlets to sell and promote your product.”

EJH’s Hendler said pop-up shops rarely help her bottom line but provide a good opportunity to meet with customers, especially since she has no immediate plans to open a retail space.

“Pop-ups are really helpful for small brands,” said Hendler. “For a brand like ours, which has wholesale placement in some big retailers, it’s just a really great way to keep it personal, to keep it local and participate in the community.”

The company plans to donate 10 percent of revenue from each pop-up event to a non-profit. Every year Everwish will choose a region and partner with non-profits operating in that area. This year its focus is on Southern Africa and for its first pop-up the company partnered with Highlands Ranch, Colo.-based Outreach Uganda, the country where Muyingo was born.

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