SHE DC Pop Up

Pictures and Day Synopsis

After attending a panel discussion with Shop Made in DC I️ decided to try my shot at participating in their pop up shop. I signed up for the final day of SHE DC, which is a month long celebration of women artist and entrepreneurs. Being that I’d only participated in one pop up shop previously this was a bit of a tall ask. I️ spoke to my younger sister who happens to be my business partner and we went for it.

However, we soon received word that we were not accepted as they only had a limited number of tables available. We were upset but continued to press forward in our pursuit of our passion. Fast forward and the event is two weeks away. As I️ am casually checking my emails I️ see a note from Shop Made in DC. We got in!

From there we were off to the races. We painted over 20 shirts in 10 days. Everything we paint is one of a kind so this was no small feet. We had two weeks to prepare our decorations and table set up as well. Together my sister and I️ were on Michael’s, Amazon, Staples, and everywhere in between making this happen. This is not your backyard pop up and we wanted to make a great impression.

Two weeks past and up until the night before we were painting bucket hats and shirts. The day finally arrives and there is no where to park. After, playing Tetris with cars we were finally able to find a spot. With our silver rolling laundry basket, reusable shopping bags, and a cardboard box containing our table set up we arrived at La Cosecha with plenty of time to spare. The table was a bit smaller than we expected but we made it work.

My sister, who is still in high school, is incredibly shy but was able to come out of her shell and network with the other businesses. I️ am so proud to have witnessed her in action. Sometime after set up the doors open and the shopping begins. It was a slow start but once the people arrived they arrived.

We got some great customer photos, made a few sales, met some amazing local business owners, and ate some delicious Peruvian sandwiches! It was such an incredible experience! The Fashion Business Essentials class is already paying off. Thanks to the lessons we had interactive customer options like a raffle and Instagram frame. Everyone loved the activities and we were able to create an experience at our table.

I️ am so thankful to have had this experience and fully expect to do more pop up shops in the future! Cheers to an amazing event and learning experience!