Ana Moss, a part-time worker at the toy store Kazoodles, leaned back against the blue- and gray-painted cinder-block basement of Divine Consign.
Moss, a nurse, cheerfully picked up extra work at the toy store where she shops for her daughter after owner Mary Sisson announced it would open a pop-up store in the basement of the vintage furniture store in downtown Vancouver.
Monday morning was slow — a far cry from Moss’ shifts at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland or even the oversized playpen that is Kazoodles’ main shop in Cascade Park.
“It’s quiet down here,” she said behind the counter, which is tucked in a basement corner near the stairs and surrounded by vintage miscellany — leather bags, a rusted stove, an old birdcage.
When Sisson arrived to relieve Moss for lunch, she lamented that the pop-up store isn’t doing so well. Sales on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday helped, but the pop-up shop has done just a quarter of the business she projected for the month.
But whether sales boomed or not, the pop-up shop is a good way to market the store, she said.
“I was just hoping to expand our exposure,” she said. “If people see the kinds of toys we have, maybe we’ll convince them to come to our regular store.”
Pop-up shops such as these are a growing practice for retailers during the onrushing holiday shopping season. Businesses of all types — some not even businesses, technically — foray into these short-lived retail worlds to grab at more revenues or to wade briefly into a new neighborhood.
“Pop-up shops add an amazing infusion of both choice and excitement to our retail district during this special time of year,” said Lee Rafferty, president of the Vancouver’s Downtown Association, in an email.
New faces
Pop-up shops — small retail outlets that spring up for weeks, days or even hours — have long been a popular marketing ploy in London, New York and other big cities. The practice spread during the recession when retailers shied away from long-term leases and favored opening shops only in the small window of the holiday shopping season.
From a marketing perspective, stores could tap into the craze of an ice cream truck in summer, where customers needed to be at the right place at the right time. Businesses might open for weeks, but there was an expiration date on the items, prices and the store itself.
Sisson had long heard from customers that they wished to see Kazoodles return to where it started, in downtown Vancouver. While sales looked shaky, she said she was happy to try and get a foot in the busy area.
“We’re bringing the toys to them,” Sisson said of downtown.
For businesses and individuals who sell primarily online, pop-up shops offer new face-time with customers. Baby products manufacturer Puj sells mostly online and through retailers in 35 countries. On Friday, it opened its 20,000-square-foot headquarters to the public for a pop-up sale.
“We just don’t have the capability to have a full store in our showroom space,” said Katie Blount, special events coordinator. “This gives us an opportunity to test the waters that way, to be in front of the community but not have to put the investment into claiming a full retail space.”
The idea was first floated earlier this year to run alongside Puj’s twice-yearly online sale. The pop-up shop turned into a smash hit and it was soon outselling the online store, Blount said.
“I don’t even know what our expectations were,” she said. “Having a twice-a-year warehouse sale on the website and still blowing that out in the retail store kind of speaks volumes about the community here.”
Puj hosted a handful of the fleeting shops this year. Its Friday event lasted seven hours at the company’s Vancouver headquarters at 301 11th St. and featured several smaller companies.
The Society of Washington Artists hosted its own daylong Artist’s Market on Friday at Providence Academy in Vancouver. Similar to a farmers market, the artists there sold works directly to customers without losing commission to a gallery.
“We’ve never done something quite like this before,” said Janice Tracy, a painter and president of the organization. “We’re all running around getting Squares (card readers) trying to find out how we’re going to take credit cards.”
Hope for the future
Kazoodles’ pop-up shop isn’t just a market. It’s a miniaturized version of its main location on Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard. Workers moved inventory, stacked toys in several small towers in Divine Consign’s basement on Main Street. They pay rent, though the amount will be figured out later.
Sisson said she didn’t bolster the inventory much for the secondary shop, but she hired five part-time workers to run it. The costs aren’t too high, she said, but given that November and December sales will comprise 40 percent of their total yearly sales, she hoped to do well.
“I thought it was more of a sure thing than it has turned out to be,” she said.
Some customers trickle downstairs from Divine Consign and see the basement set-up. At the very least, customers such as Frances Harper, a retired Vancouver resident, will see a new place to shop that they weren’t aware of before.
“I come to Divine Consign all the time. And then I saw this toy store,” she said, after she bought two finger puppets for her grandchildren.
