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Pop-up shops create a buzz, but are gone in a blink

Shayne Hart loves that question.

“It gives me a chance to explain what we do and who we are,” said Hart, who opened Guild Hall in May with partner Damon McFadden. “They say, ‘This is really cool, but is it an exhibition, a gallery, a store?”

The confusion stems from the unusually refined layout of the space, which looks more like the living room of an adventurous, J. Peterman-type character, rather than a mall-based retail shop. There are no end caps stacked with colorful items. There is no cash register.

There is, however, a life-size, wooden artist’s dummy, pointing a glass handgun. The words “Colonel Mustard in the Library with the Revolver” are stenciled on the storefront windows. A vintage hotel bookkeeper’s journal from the 1930s — with meticulously penciled payroll notations (maids: $3; cigarette girls, $2) — sprawls on a shelf.

Everything is for sale, though nothing has a hanging price tag. Prices appear on index cards tacked discreetly on walls nearby, as if speaking about money would somehow sully the mood.

“If they ask ‘what is this?’ it means we’ve achieved the goal of engaging them,” Hart said. “It’s a snapshot of our point of view at a moment in time.”

That moment is fleeting. Guild Hall is a pop-up shop. It opened May 23 and will shut its doors July 14.

Pop-ups are a blink-and-you-missed-it retail phenomenon: stores that open and close just a few days, weeks or months later. The concept has swept the country over the past decade, although only in recent years have such shops appeared with any frequency in New Orleans.

Pop-up retailers set up in a previously vacant location for a set period of time. Often they’re seasonal — like the Toys “R” Us Express store that opened at Lakeside Shopping Center last Christmas — or they’re linked to events or festivals. That’s the case with Carol’s Daughter, the natural skin care brand that annually pops onto the local scene during Essence Music Festival, setting up its lotions and shampoos in a three-days-only boutique in the French Quarter.

The NFL tried out a pop-up last year, when a month before the start of the 2010 Saints season, it opened a temporary boutique on Magazine Street, its first ever focused on licensed women’s fan apparel. (Much like the football season, there’s no word yet if the store is coming back.

5 Things That Trigger Impulse Product Shopping | Curly Nikki ...

You know what they say about impulse buys, they are a mistake. Experts advise you to never make a purchase on impulse because it’s usually an emotional, uninformed decision. How many times have you left the store with items you had no intention of purchasing?! Happens to me almost three times per week and when it comes to hair products, it’s even more often. If you are caught up in the product purchase matrix, here are a few things that trigger impulse buys. Knowing is half the battle! Sales are always great. I mean who doesn’t love an awesome deal? But just because it’s on sale, doesn’t mean you have to place it in your cart. Not just your cart in the store but also your online shopping cart. It is extremely easy to update the quantity on that butter cream, especially if you only need one more to save on shipping! Shelf placement and cashier counter items are both methods of suggestive marketing. Notice certain items for women will be placed on lower shelves so that they are eye level. You will also see for sale items in the middle of an aisle so that the consumer is sure not to miss it. The same is true for online purchasing. Usually when you are browsing certain categories, the system will suggest other items you may be interested in based on items you viewed. “If you like this, then you’ll like this” or “the last person who purchased this item also liked this item”.

My last impulse product(s) buy was to celebrate my 3 month nappyversary which was 3 days ago.I bought Kinky Curly Knot today Leave in so I could try Kimmaytube leave in conditioner, Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque because Im gradually running out of my Carols Daughter Hair Smoothie and last but not least Jane Carter Revitalizing Leave in Conditioner. Definitely impulse buys but i am hoping they are well worth it.

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