Our chat this week is with the lovely Julie, the founder of Styled Boutique who was a regular host within our Chester Pop Up shop. Through various periods of hosting with us Julie loved the buzz of St Michaels Row and took permanent occupancy of unit 14!
Want to hear more about her pop up journey and what led her to take on a permanent shop? Then read on!!!
What made you want to host a pop up shop?
"After several years running Styled from an out-of-town location, it seemed like a perfect way to give the brand a little more exposure along with testing the water for a potential move."
How did you discover our Chester pop up?
"A fellow independent business had posted on Instagram that they were using your pop up and I thought what a fab idea it was."
How was your experience within the pop up?
"I loved every minute, the most exciting part for me was to have an actual shop window as I loved getting creative."
What was the highlight of your time in the pop up that made you realise that you wanted your own shop?
"Wow, that’s a hard one as I have so many. A guess it was the footfall that Chester has, the location was a big reason & I have to say the centre staff, they really made our experience enjoyable, they went above and beyond from day one!!"
Have you always wanted to be on the high street? What influenced your decision to go for it?
"It’s been a dream of mine, I guess I’ve always had worry attached to the commitment. The pop up gave me the opportunity to test the water before I took the plunge and for that I will forever be grateful."
What advice would you give someone who is looking to host in our pop up shops or open up their own store?
"DO IT!!! The pop up gives you the opportunity to really see what people think. Get as much feedback from your customers as possible and get the data behind you! Cities need independents back on the high street & customers are extremely receptive."
Styled Boutique had their grand opening this week. The shop looks amazing and we urge all shoppers of Chester to check it out! We are so proud to see Styled Boutique flourish and we wish them all the best for the future.
We love to featured pop up hosts in our blogs. Do you have a story which you think would be great for us to write about? Or maybe you have suggestions on what you would like to see be featured? If so, get in touch with Kiera (kiera@barkerproudlove.co.uk) or Jess (jessica@barkerproudlove.co.uk) today. We would love to hear your ideas!