Pick’n’mix

Behind the pop-up

Four owners of Luxembourg pop-up stores provide a glimpse of the short-term retail model.

Julie Conrad

JULIE CONRAD DESIGN STUDIO Anna Castellucc Fanny Bervard Ghislaine De Poorter

NANA’SELECTIONS ROMANTICO ROMANTICO MADE BY GHIGI

What is your pop-up store’s concept?

To bring design into the heart of the city and give a behind-the-scenes look at the development of local products.

The concept of my shop is to sell European handcrafted products made by craftsmen or small family businesses. To take customers on a visit to the Ligurian coast: Mediterranean temperament and minimalistic modernity are translated into unique “made in Luxembourg” jewellery.

A cushion that we make with coloured fabrics where we mix vegetal and geometric patterns, velvets, jacquards, and cotton furniture fabric.

Which item do you sell the most?

Are pop-up shops a movement? Our “Luxembourg is wild” illustrations; DONO bags made from the tarpaulin that was on the Pont Adolphe during its renovation; Corian sushi plates by Norbert Brakonier.

The pandemic brought uncertainty but also drove a lot of people to do something different. Pop-ups offer the ideal conditions to test-drive an idea in a safe way. Italian bags made of leather; fabrics and soaps.

It’s a kind of new way of selling products in an affordable space. Our bestsellers are earrings: the style we sell the most is “Julie Nathi Hoops”, asymmetrical pearl hoops, a timeless classic with a twist.

A pop-up can create a hype-place for a limited amount of time, a space people want to visit before it closes. To me, pop-ups are the innovation of retail. Interior decoration objects: cushions, storage baskets, stools, laundry bags; and fashion accessories: shopping bags, pouches, scrunchies, fabric masks.

In Luxembourg, it’s a very recent phenomenon; the City of Luxembourg has been offering this opportunity for only a few years.

Ideal spot for a pop-up shop in Luxembourg?

Are pop-ups synonymous with sustainability? 30, rue des Capucins. (Wink.)

The ideal place is a well-frequented place!

Not always, but many are new/small businesses that want to try something different. And there’s a nice current towards more sustainability in new businesses… It could become sustainable if the mentality of buyers adapts to this mode of commerce. It’s important to conduct market research before opening your pop-up. There is not one specific place: it has to be adapted to your product/service.

Not necessarily, but they should be. To us, a pop-up store also means not having large stock levels. A lot of our purchases are made by hand, to order.

The city centre: people from Luxembourg and tourists frequent the town.

It really depends… you can sell both madein-Luxembourg and made-in-China. Made by Ghigi offers artisanal products handmade in Luxembourg.