Pop up Shopping Event in aid of the Lily Foundation
Pop up Shopping Event in aid of the Lily Foundation
Last week, Sofas and Stuff Basingstoke hosted a pop up shopping event in aid of the Lily Foundation – fighting Mitochondrial Disease. The event brought together female run, independent businesses across Hampshire. The day was a huge success blessed with great September sunshine and a busting celebration of fashion, design and lifestyle. We caught up with Sofas and Stuff partner, Tracey Grout, who put the whole day together accompanied by husband, Jason.
Pop Up Shop
My husband thinks he struck it lucky with me. Rather sweet if I do say so myself, but I firmly believe his sentiments are more self serving that you would expect. His reasoning is simple, I DON’T LIKE TO SHOP. The entire process sends me into a flat panic, and being an otherwise decisive and ordered person, I find that emotion foreign thereby I just avoid it, at ALL COSTS. So, when I informed Jason, I was arranging a “POP UP SHOP” in our beautiful Walled Garden Showroom he nearly fell over. The thought process was “create an environment that I, an “anti-shopper”, would want to spend money in.”
Secret Walled Garden
Sofas & Stuff Basingstoke is a hidden gem with our “Secret Walled Garden”. We are so proud of it but barely get to use it, so why not offer it as venue for small business owners to sell their unique wares in, in a relaxed, un-pressured beautiful location.
With that in mind a friend and I went to work on sourcing local, individual business owners. This is where I think I lucked out in finding the amazing “crew” that would make up our September POP UP SHOP. Who knew these talented Hampshire ladies were on our doorstep!!
Big Cat Clothing, Pinkstring, Kate Moss-Jones, Atelier 18, Kate Phipps Writes, Loved by Da, Make Skincare, Blooming Blends, Worry Less Design, Larzac & Loddon, Janya Wetteland-Reid, Jo Jo, Tooka.
The Lily Foundation
It was agreed that we needed a charity to support, and one that meant something to us. A previous customer and friend had personal attachments to the Lily Foundation so it was a no brainer THE LILY FOUNDATION would be our charity. As it happened the POP UP fell in week of MITOCHONDRIAL AWARENESS, how uncanny.
1 month of planning and we were ready …. The set up began the day before and we created a Garden café using our beautiful sofas as the “resting place” for wearied shoppers. Each stall holder chose a different room in the showroom a few nerves, lots of coffee , and even more beautiful product and we were rearing to “open shop” on Tuesday morning…….
And what a morning it was, the sun shone, people arrived by the dozen and we enjoyed watching as everyone slowly meandered through the showroom with excitement wanting to see what was around the next corner. The energy was pulpable and even I managed to enjoy a calm place in which to spend LOTS of money all for a good cause.
source : sofa and stuff
