It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and Pop Up Shops are Finally Here!

Hello hello my dear blog readers! It's been a few days now since I have had the chance to blog but I am back! I know....you missed me...but Well. the past few days have just been super busy, so yes, loads to catch up on...here we go!!

It’s the most wonderful time of year and pop up shops are finally here! (I'm a secret poet, didn't you know it? ) The entire space here at 100 International Drive is filled with five shops total and they all look fantastic. Everyone worked really hard in putting together each of their respective shops and it really shows.

As for our shop, I feel like I am in some sort of art gallery…no not just because of the great artwork that covers the walls, but because everything is so unique – from the way the merchandise is displayed to the décor. Men’s shirts hanging delicately on red satin ribbon off a photography pole, paint cans, fabric, and bursts of red, silver, and hemp all through the shop....and everything is united in such a unique, stylistic manner.

Thursday, the day before the shop opened, was definitely a long day! But we had a great team that worked very hard to bring the pop-up shop to life. We spent the day mainly merchandising, decorating, and checking on the little things….computer and technology included!

I thought computers were supposed to make life easier! It seems as though everyday I have one issue or another with technology in general! Phone, ipod, laptop, remote control...everything is just so complicated these days...I miss the days of having to write everything down, the days of a simple button that you press to turn something on or off…gosh I can't believe I am writing such things...do I sound old or what! Anyway, my point being, is that we had some major computer issues on Thursday. Lightspeed, our inventory system, has not been working properly for days and we were on a mission to get it fixed….and what a mission it was! But through the process, I did make a very good friend, Michael. He really is the greatest customer service man ever, kept me very entertained as I was trying to sort all this out. We chatted about the weather, traveling, life, you know…and finally after 2 hours, I connected and got Lightspeed going! I was sad to let Michael go, but what a relief because now we could actually sell some merchandise. Major issue solved…or so I thought…we opened at 12pm Friday…and guess what, no internet and major Lightspeed dysfunction!! I didn’t mind though because I would have loved to chat with Michael, who would have sorted everything out and made all my problems go away! ☺ Unfortunately...we didn’t need him that day because we sorted everything out in a matter of a few hours....

Luckily we did because we had our first sale on Friday within hours of opening!! A men’s shirt! Exciting! The customer picked my favorite one but we do still have a great collection hanging on those red satin ribbons!!!

It is now Monday evening...The start of our first full week as a pop up shop! It's been a little dead in the shop today, but hey it's Monday, everyone is exhausted from the weekend. We have a full week ahead. The pop up shop has really transformed again since I came in this morning. My favorite Chrstmas tree has shrunk in size, and the leftover paint cans have been used in different places around the shop. Everything is spaced out and now the shop looks like a super chic boutique. Bright oranges and greens have popped up in the store and new merchandise has been displayed. Each day the shop gets better and better! Check out the photos to see how it's changed!