Three years ago to this very week, my best mate and I launched a little shop called Rock and Rule to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Back then I had no idea where it was going to lead, but it was from that shop in Soho that I decided to commit to bringing an idea I had to life.
The Rock and Rule store taught me three things. Firstly, renting shop space is hard – it takes on average six months to rent a shop. Secondly, most landlords require you to pay a couple of years rent upfront, for a shop in a prime location or a long term lease of 5-10 years that could mean a six figure sum! Thirdly, I realised there was a huge amount of people out there who, like me, wanted to launch their own stores but couldn’t get a space. That’s what gave me the idea for Appear Here.
Like an Air BnB for retail, Appear Here aims to make booking space as easy as booking a hotel room. That’s a big feat. And yes, we’re still some way off. However, we’re proud to say in the last year 100% of people booking a space through Appear Here transacted online and in the last month, 50% booked their space in under 48 hours.
At the heart of it all, our mission is to give people with ideas access to amazing spaces. So far, we’ve helped over 750 people find space for their ideas, just in London. From big brands such as Apple and Marc Jacobs to hungry entrepreneurs with great new ideas such as Crosstown Doughnuts and PRESS London.
We launched the Space for Ideas competition to give three more entrepreneurs the opportunity to win a free shop to make their ideas happen. We’re looking for people who have ideas that have the potential to be the next big thing. This isn’t about just taking a store, sticking some products in and hoping it’s going to sell. This is about creating an experience, that blows away the rest of what’s on the High Street.
I’m so excited to have such an inspiring panel of judges supporting the Space for Ideas competition including, Cambridge Satchel Company Founder Julie Deane, Restaurateur and Founder of Ceviche Martin Morales, TV broadcaster Dawn O’Porter, Co founder and CEO of Rapha Simon Mottram, Founder of Serge DeNimes Oliver Proudlock and CEO of the Independent Steve Auckland.
There are three shops in London to win. Each winning idea will get two weeks, rent free. Supported by mobile phone network EE, the winning entrepreneurs also get a £3000 budget to fit out the store and up to £20,000 of advertising space in the Evening Standard to get their ideas out there.
This is your chance to make your idea happen and who knows where it will lead…
Ross Bailey, CEO & Founder Appear Here
