Now I know that we may be biased but we love our pop up shops! Our spaces are designed with small businesses in mind and we love that no two spaces are the same. Whether it be from the layout to the branding to even the businesses we welcome.
Over the last 3 years Contemporary by Barker Proudlove has evolved. Starting off with only one pop up we have grown and now have 11 established pop up shops across the North of England and we are proud to be small business led!
With many of our pop ups comes a great success story of how some of our businesses have taken the next step from our pop ups and transitioned to permanent spaces. Let’s take a look at these…
Harmonize Your Soul - Stockport Pop Up
Holistic and wellbeing business Harmonzie Your Soul recently opened their doors within Merseyway Shopping Centre during March. The store is one of the first wellness and holistic hubs within the centre. Before opening their permanent store, Harmoinze Your Soul tested the waters by hosting our Stockport Pop Up and they had this to say about their experience: "When I took part in the pop-up shop scheme, I wasn’t sure how Stockport would react to our offering, however once we set up, the love and interest we received was so overwhelming! We had so many messages from clients on social media sharing how much they had gained from the little time we spent in the store, so from this we knew we had to take a permanent space in the centre. I started manifesting and here we are! MAGIC. I am super grateful and cannot wait for the shoppers in Stockport to see our new store!" The Contemporary by BP team are thrilled that they were well received and we wish them every success.
Another one of our previous hosts is also due to take on a permanent store within the centre very soon... so keep your eyes peeled!
Luna Amatores & Ethereal Scents - Lanes Pop Up (Carlisle)
If you are a regular reader of our blogs then, you may remember when we had a chat with Korin, the founder of Luna Amatores. Our Lanes Pop Up was our first ever pop up to launch and Luna Amatores was a regular host of this with fellow small business friend Etheral Scents. The two businesses teamed up and hosted our space under the banner of The Natural Collective Cumbria. The pair were loved within Carlisle, with people queuing up before opening on their first day of their pop ups to get their hands on their amazing product range. Since then, the pair have ventured off and have opened up their own permanent spaces within Carlisle City Centre. We are so proud and it has been an honor to watch them grow.
Click here to check out our interview with Korin!
Acantha Crystals - Lanes Pop Up (Carlisle)
Acantha Crystals was another regular host of our Lanes Pop Up. Denica, the founder, transformed the space into a holistic haven selling a range of crystals, incense and much more. Within November of last year, Acantha Crystals officially opened the doors to their permeant space. We are extremely happy that they have taken this next step for their business!
Kick Collective - SQ Pop Up (Altrincham)
If you have been following us for some time, you would remember our beloved SQ Pop Up within Altrincham. We welcomed just shy of 20 exciting hosts to the pop up in less than a year. Some of these businesses were Cheshire Paints, Both Barrels, Benjis Homeware and many more!
I'm sure most of you who followed the space would remember JXE Manchester, who hosted our pop up shop many a time, selling a range of designer clothing and trainers. Well, after many successful periods in our pop up, they recently rebranded to Kick Collective and have taken up permanent occupancy within Stamford Quarter, Altrincham. The shop looks amazing and it is so great to see them expand!
Keep It Local - Potteries Pop Up (Hanley)
Even though they have not quiet officially opened their doors just yet, we are super pleased to see that Keep It Local are opening their first permanent store this September. Our Potteries Pop Up hosted by Keep It Local has been hugely popular amongst not only shoppers but makers of Stoke-on-Trent. Keep It Local is a hive of activity and a base hub for local makers to stock their products. Andy, the founder of Keep It Local has a passion for shopping locally and supporting small businesses. With the support of his wife, Laura and children, we are so thrilled that they are taking the next step for their business.
Styled Boutique- Chester Pop Up
One success story which I am sure you are all familiar with by now is Styled Boutique. Julie, the founder of Styled Boutique had many successful periods of hosting our Chester Pop Up space before deciding to take the next step for her business. As we headed into Spring of 2022, Styled Boutique officially opened their doors to the public. It has been amazing to see her business grow and we are super thrilled for them.
Read more about her pop up experience here.
Daily Wares - Chester Pop Up
Whilst we were looking for a new home, so was one of our previous hosts! Vintage and streetwear brand Daily Wares, found this home with New Chester Market which opened in November 2022. Whilst waiting for the redevelopment work to complete they took on a temporary space within the indoor market. Joe, the founder, said this about their time in the pop up: “Taking the leap and hosting a pop up store was a big step in gauging if our brand would work in a physical space. Turns out it did, and we’ve now secured a permanent store. We definitely wouldn’t have had the confidence to dive straight in without having the experience that hosting a Chester Pop Up gave us.”
Love Handbags - Chester Pop Up
Shortly after we relocated, our Chester Pop Up it was let again! Love Handbags was a regular host of our first Chester Pop Up space and with every pop up it was a triumph. During November of 2022 Sheryll, the founder of Love Handbags took on our space on a more permanent basis.
We are so thrilled to see so many of our hosts take the next steps for their business and we are ecstatic that our pop up shops gave them a flexible opportunity to test the high street and build their confidence. We wish them all every success!
If you are looking for a permanent space but, are hesitant about the commitment, location or even demographic then our pop ups are the perfect test! Find your nearest location here: Pop Up Shops | Contemporary by Barker Proudlove (contemporarybybp.co.uk)
We are always on the hunt to expand our pop up portfolio! If you have a space you would like to activate with one of our pop ups then, get in touch with Kiera (kiera@barkerproudlove.co.uk) or Jess (jessica@barkerproudlove.co.uk) today.