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Collective retail spaces are changing the way young entrepreneurs get their brands in front of customers.
One local business owner says the retail collective model is helping Calgary’s artists and creative community break into physical retail space.
Five years ago, Alice Lamb opened her first collective store, Tigerstead & Friends, on Center Street North, which she says became a successful model.
“Two of the businesses there grew so much that we ended up taking over the entire store.”
Collective retail spaces are stores where local entrepreneurs can rent shelves or sell their products consignment-style, which many businesses consider some of the biggest barriers to starting a business, especially for young people. states that it will be resolved.
But the idea of collective retail spaces is not a new invention. Collective retail stores are popular in many major cities, which is why Lam wanted to bring them closer to home.
“Being a business owner myself, I know that it’s very difficult to take on all the financial risks of opening a store on your own, so this community model really appealed to me,” Lam said. .
Moonlight includes a variety of products from various vendors. Javier Cobb (top left), Sumin Choi (top right), Lucy Tan (bottom left) and Deni Hui (bottom right) are local entrepreneurs with shelves at the retail complex. (Joe Horwood/CBC)
Following the success of the first store, Lam co-founded a second collective retail space, Moonlight. This time it’s located downtown at Dragon City Mall, which opened in November.
“This is an opportunity to build an entrepreneurial community among Calgary’s young Asian makers, and a way for us to revitalize Calgary’s Chinatown and contribute to the community we have enjoyed growing up. ”
According to the co-founders, the average age of Moonlight’s vendors is under 30 years old.
Lamb said the name ‘Moonlight’ was inspired by the idea that collective retail can help young entrepreneurs test their business models, products and passions before diving headfirst into a career path. .
“I think this gives them the ability to moonlight and try things out,” Lamb said.
“Whether you’re in school or working full time, getting something like a platform to pursue one of your passions and decide, ‘Is this something I want to pursue in the future?’ I can.”
Moonlight co-founder Alice Lam says the retail collective is located at Dragon City Mall to “build an entrepreneurial community among young Asian makers in Calgary.” (Joe Horwood/CBC)
Lam said she was shocked by how many people wanted to participate, making everything from tea and trinkets to pottery and candles. This collective retail space features products from nearly 50 local vendors.
One of Moonlight’s sellers is Deni Hoy, 19, who runs Dear Bearie, which specializes in handmade polymer clay trinkets, earrings, charms, and more.
Hui says collective retail spaces are a game-changer for small and medium-sized businesses, especially when it comes to indirect capital that young entrepreneurs don’t have access to.
“It’s a huge risk to invest in a store, especially when you’re just selling something small like this. How can we make enough profit?”
One of the things that makes this experience so unique is that you get to meet other vendors and share with each other the good and the bad of being a small business.
Deni Hui, a 19-year-old small business owner, sells handmade items at Moonlight in Dragon City Mall. (Joe Horwood/CBC)
“I think a store like this brings a lot of people together and is a solid place where we can all meet,” she said.
“It’s like a little library for people.”
This isn’t just about other retailers. Hui also said customers can get better insight into what they’re buying before they buy, something she thinks is missing from e-commerce.
“When I actually see people go, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so cute,’ I really love these kinds of places,” she said.
Currently, Hui only sells her products at Moonlight, but she says collective retailing is revolutionary for small and medium-sized businesses, and she hopes to enter more collective stores in the future.
But for all small business owners, congregate retail spaces are nothing new. Lucy Tan owns her Lavish the Label, a handmade jewelry company, and sells products at her two retail stores in Calgary.
Tan’s jewelry is sold both at Moonlight and at another retail store in Chinook Center. She says the collaborative retail format takes some of the burden off small business owners.
“It’s easy for me because I can grow in the same way as the sales channel,” says Tan, adding that the collective model means he doesn’t have to spend a whole day on his feet at the market selling his products.
Local businesswoman Lucy Tan’s handmade jewelry is on display at two retail stores in Calgary, and she says it’s helping people save time and money. (Joe Horwood/CBC)
But it’s also about growing your business and connecting with people who don’t know your product exists.
She says mass retailing facilitates the process of gaining brand recognition “because you already have shoppers who are new to the store.”
Craig Patterson, founder and publisher of Retail Insider, agrees.
“People are still physically going to malls and stores, so these smaller brands are getting a physical presence in places where people might already be looking for those things. can do.”
And Patterson believes the in-person experience offered in retail stores is making a significant comeback.
“While more people moved their shopping online during the pandemic, online shopping has leveled off and we still see people visiting stores during the holidays,” he said.
He says collective retail stores function like department stores. It’s like a collaboration involving different products, brands, and businesses. But the retail collective’s appeal is local vendors with unique products that have a lower environmental impact, rather than mass production or large conglomerates, Patterson said.
“Many people are tired of mainstream products that are available everywhere. If you’re looking for something unique, you can go to a smaller, more local retailer. You might find something that’s not there to go elsewhere. ”
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