Businesses find success at spring pop-up shop event in Monroe

Spring-themed crafts, handmade candles and custom wearable art were some of the items offered at a recent Sip and Shop pop-up event hosted at Monroe Nutrition, 739 S. Monroe St.

Sponsored by 6 Blessings Boutique and Nina’s Candles & Gifts, the weekend shop featured a variety of items including home décor, bath and body products, candles and fashion.

Monroe Nutrition owner Jeff Copi offered vendors space in his store as a means of supporting other business owners and to promote shopping locally.

Copi’s shop specializes in healthy drinks, smoothies, energizing teas and protein shakes.

Tables were set up inside Copi's store for customers to peruse the wares of vendors while sipping on their favorite beverage.

Temporary retail space, known as pop-up shops or flash retailing, has become a popular venue for small or home-based businesses. Setting up a temporary space allows business owners to meet new customers and sell their products without the commitment of a permanent store front.

A few common spaces used for pop-up shops include vacant storefronts, booth spaces in shopping malls or inside existing retail businesses like Monroe Nutrition.

The idea of doing local pop-up shops started a few months ago. Michael Madison Jr. and his wife, Dana, held their first event in January at Beyond The Tracks Productions, a podcasting/broadcasting studio at 105 E. Front St., Suite 205, in Monroe. The couple promoted their bath and body products and candles.

“I have the podcast/broadcast studio in downtown Monroe and we were only using it once or twice a week so I was thinking of different ways that we can utilize the space,” Madison Jr. said. “My wife suggested she bring some of her things to the studio so that when people come to the podcasts they could see them and possibly buy them.”

Copi attended in January and suggested the second event be held at his South Monroe Street shop. He offered the vendors temporary retail space free of charge.

Dana Madison and Ruth Albain Neal worked together to organize the second event. They have been best friends since meeting in the fourth grade at Custer Elementary School.

Dana Madison owns Nina’s Chic Boutique, specializing in candles and crafts. The Monroe resident started making candles 15 years ago. On Saturday, her creations, set up on banquet tables, consisted of wood bunnies, signs and home décor along with hand-poured soy candles and wax melts. Dana offers a variety of candle scents including seasonal ones. One of the most popular scents with customers is “Butt Naked,” a fruity, tropical blend of fragrances.

Ruth Albain Neal, a former Monroe resident now living in Tennessee, was also a vendor. The owner of 6 Blessings Boutique offered a variety of items including bird feeders and baths using vintage teacups, saucers and recycled porch posts, memorial yard art angels and farmhouse décor.

“Dana and I have been best friends forever and we craft a lot,” Neal said. “I can sell this stuff in Tennessee but being able to socialize and be with each other and do our crafts together is the appeal for us. I enjoy being able to spend time with her.”

Cheat Designs owner Lloyd Cheatham Jr. of Detroit filled a portion of the shop with his custom T-shirts along with his oil and acrylic paintings.

The former Monroe resident said he has been creative as long as he can remember and being able to combine his love of art and fashion is something he enjoys. His creations have gained popularity within the past few years and he has done several pop-up shops. He plans to do more in Monroe.

For the Madisons, having pop-up shops at local businesses affords the husband-and-wife team the opportunity to gauge if the products they offer will be popular with customers while helping existing businesses add to their own customer base.

Madison Jr. said some of the people coming to the pop-up shop were first-time customers at Monroe Nutrition.

Charlotte Roberts of Monroe stopped in after having breakfast with friends to see what items the vendors had to offer.

“We’ve reached out to other businesses to do future pop-up shows,” he said. “One of our main goals is to look for brick-and-mortar retail space. It may be the old school way of doing it, but we love our downtown. We want to create another space where people can shop downtown. We want to be a part of that.”

As for now, pop-up shops are being planned for May featuring gifts for moms. In June, the event will cater to dads and grads.

More information about future events will be posted on Beyond The Tracks Productions’ Facebook page, tinyurl.com/BeyondtheTracksFacebook

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Spring pop-up shop event in Monroe a success