It's always great to see our hosts flourish and even better seeing them take the next step from hosting in our pop up spaces, to opening up their own permanent stores. Our Chester Pop Up was no stranger to this during 2022 and saw, not one, not two but THREE of our fantastic hosts take the next step for their business by becoming permanent additions to Chester's high street.
Kicking it all off in 2020 our Chester pop up opened on St Michaels Row. Our location welcomed a number of incredible independent businesses through the door, selling everything from clothing to candles to art and much more. With each host, the space underwent an amazing transformation, and it was always fascinating and exciting to see how each host transformed the space!
Fast forward to mid 2022, regular hosts of our pop up Styled Boutique decided that they wanted to take the next step for their business and take the space on a longer term basis and become a permanent fixture of St Michaels Row. Our pop up shop provided a flexible space for Styled Boutique to trial the high street, location and demographic to see how they would trade. Julie, the founder of Styled Boutique said: "The pop up gave me the opportunity to test the water before I took the plunge and for that I will forever be grateful". Come April, Styled Boutique will be celebrating their one year anniversary on St Michaels Row and we couldn't be more proud of them!
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.”
Shortly after we relocated, our pop up was snapped up (again!!!) permanently by Love Handbags Northwest! After many successful stints of hosting in our pop up they decided to make St Michaels Row their home and took on unit 6 on a permanent basis during November 2022, selling their range of handbags, accessories and gifting items. It is wonderful to see another one of our hosts become a permanent addition to Chester's high street.
Kiera, who manages the Chester Pop Up said: “It is so rewarding to see a string of independent businesses take on longer term spaces off the back of hosting in our pop up. We are so happy that they have taken the next step for their business. Myself and the team wish them all every success with their venture.”
If you would like to host in one of our spaces, or if you are a Landlord who would like to discuss our pop up initiatives then please do get in touch with Kiera (kiera@barkerproudlove.co.uk) or Jess (jessica@barkerproudlove.co.uk)