Friday Fab Five 14 • Everyday Lifehacks from Barb

This week my focus for the Friday Fab Five is answering questions and giving advice when it comes to pop-up shops. I want to do a live on this, but being that I am always on call for Federal Jury Duty this month — it’s been a lot of waiting around to see if I am selected — so I thought I would put in resources here 🙂

So let’s get to it: The ins-and-outs of putting on a pop-up shop.

1. What is a Pop-Up Shop?

I get this question more than you would think, and the easiest way I can explain it is popping up your bakery inside of another business. Being a vendor at a market is not quite the same. In that format, everyone is represented in their own separate booth, like walking down a mini main street. In a pop-up shop you are setting up inside an established shop, also known as a brick-and-mortar.

Think of stores that are like-minded to your business model. For example: we pop-up in a store that sells all organic and locally sourced products. People go there to buy produce so finding cookies there would just be an added bonus. Here are some ideas of where to pop-up:

• Antique stores
• Cafe
• Anywhere that gets decent foot traffic.
• Local tasting room or wine bar
• I even have a follower that pops-up in her husband’s tire shop. She says her sales are amazing!

2. Color Palette

How does color palette come into play when your doing a pop-up shop? Here is how: People can distinguish dozens by the color palette you use. So if I showed the color scheme using different flavors per color scheme than people can quickly identify what they have come for, which also means you can cut down your checkout line faster. Win, win.

Here is an example (below) of how I set up different flavor dozens. Since I usually name them as well (for ease to the buyer) and the name of this grouping is Candy Bar Bonanza, I made them in “candy” colors: bright yellow, red, green, aqua and orange. Get clever with your descriptions, too, as they can help your customers know what flavors to expect in that first wonderful bite.

3. Pricing and Production

Another set of questions I get asked is “How do you know how much time you need to make everything” Here is what I do. Work backwards. (I know, that makes no sense, so let me explain.) I am an experienced pop-up shop baker, so I am able to make about 100 dozen (which is what you’ll find in my example below).

NOTE: you will probably make closer to 30 dozen if you are a first-timer. Of course, you will need to know your pace. How long does it take for you to make a dozen? Five dozen? Ten dozen? I’ve become an expert at keeping the flow going for my shells, so I’m familiar with my pace.

Here is how I break it down for 100 dozen:

Baking shells: 11 days

Filling: 2 days

Packaging: 2 days

Set up: morning of.

So if my pop-up was on September 17th, I would back up the schedule 15 days of what I need to actually produce the product. If you don’t work weekends or need any other days off make sure to factor those in. Make sense?

Pricing:

It is customary for the hosting shop to charge you a percentage of the product, usually about 15-25%. This is absolutely acceptable, remember, they are paying the credit card fees, the materials to bag the product to get it out the door and the employees to work the event. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO EAT THESE COSTS. It’s customary to pass them onto the buyer, so if you are normally selling your dozen for $25, you will sell it for $30 to absorb those costs. Usually your sales are higher because of the store’s advertising, and you are encountering lots of new to you customers. You are also growing your business organically, which is the best way.

(I made 400 dozen and 200 dozen cookies at a pop-up last Valentine’s Day; it was amazingly insane and took two car-fulls to get everything there.)

4. Pop-up Tips and Tricks

Repeat after me, PRESENTATION! People are not going to automatically buy because you are in their favorite store. You still need to make sure your set-up looks polished and conducive to the space you are in. I use cake stands, wire baskets and table cloths to make my table catch the eye of the buyer. I don’t lay products flat, I stack in baskets, and as the product sells out, I replace the product with silk hydrangea flowers so my table always looks full.

A table with height variances that looks full will always sell better than a table where your products are laid flat against the table. –Barb

Use your personality to start conversations:

• A joke of one liner is a great way to spark conversation
• Hand out menus if you have a line so people will be prepared with that they want
• Be willing to get out in front of your table and visit, answer questions or just chit chat. MAKE IT ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMER.
• Have a few differently sized packages of macarons– that way the uncertain buyer can buy 3 instead of 12, or a person can make a variety pack grabbing 2-6 counts instead of 1 dozen. Having options always feels better.

5. What’s on the Blog

It’s all peaches this week as we get ready for the Fall harvest. We order a box of Utah peaches every year to be delivered to our house. So to be one step ahead, instead of always three behind, I created the YUMMIEST PEACH macarons for you. Enjoy!