Setting up Shop on a Shoestring.
With rising rents, rates & manufacturing costs, setting up shop can be an expensive business.
There is a silver lining. Thrifty has never been more fashionable. The recent surge in popularity for the upcycling movement means that with little more than a wire grate and a lick of paint you can ensure your shop remains the avant garde of retail design. And with that in mind we’ve pulled together the cheapest ways to kit out your shop on a shoestring budget:
Alternative clothes rails
Who needs smart clothing rails when you can can items off anything ranging from painted wood, curtain poles or even chains
Project on walls
If you want to liven up your walls without going to the expense of painting them why not project a slideshow or film onto your walls?
Reuse Ladders
Whether you repaint them or leave them them exposed, ladders can be used effectively to shelve products and become an interesting design feature in themselves.
Upcycle Storage
Old crates, wooden storage cases or trunks can become creative places to layout your merchandise.
Nunchi Studios for the Serge DeNimes pop up is great example of how wooden crates can become a distinctive design feature.
Hero your product
Make your products a design feature. Hang them on walls, frame them or spread them over boxes.
L'Estrange proudly hung their hoodies like paintings in their Floral Street pop up.
Freecycle
Use sites such as freecycle to salvage others unwanted treasures: http://uk.freecycle.org/
Cross promote
See if you can partner with another brand or business and use their design services in return for promotion in store. The Rock and Rule shop borrowed furniture from surrounding design stores to kit out their pop up. Making absolutely everything in store for sale.
Maximise with colour
Painting an accent wall: painting one wall a bold colour is an affordable and effective way to spice up the place, and also makes your space look larger!
Play with levels and lighting
Displaying items on various levels can maximises space and is visually appealing. The same goes for lighting, having a combination of lighting using lamps can create interesting spaces within your shop.
Feedback Walls
All you need is some string, card and a catchy topic. Encourage your customers to write their answers on card and put them on display.
Give Truly created "the perfect gift wall" for their pop up shop which was a great way of finding out more about what they’re customers wanted.
