A decade ago, it might have been triple the struggle to launch a business; but it’s a different story nowadays: onlookers will rarely escape the sight of the nearest pop up. For brands in startup, visibility is thankfully never the problem. Internet platforms bring within our periphery, products of every scope from every direction; but with objects begging for our attention left and right, perusing the digital aisles almost feels like piling our minds with clutter. When the heavy saturation of the online marketplace leads to its shoppers’ confusion, an in-store experience invites curious folk into a respite of clarity.
Brick and mortar stores are inescapably evolving into spaces of dialogue. Customers are craving the type of connection amiss online; so, it’s safe to assume that the reason startups are so magnetizing is because of their offshoot warmth. When owners work so intimately with their brands and platforms, a kinship is consequently formed. Beyond being advertised to as consumers, most of us long for the goodwill of community. Today, big(ger) companies must flexibly follow suit.
If “BENCH/ is forever,” the company runs with the times; spanning ten days in May (9-19), the Philippine cult brand welcomed into its Flagship Store, an eclectic mix of products from PURVEYR Post’s house of regulars: fourteen local brands — Randolf, Nomadic Tendencies, Quirk, Medium, SYF, KLTRD, Tenement, Royalty, Basic Movement, Salad Day, Revere, Lamana, RUA, and our very own — took up shelf room in a location that was otherwise, inaccessible. But the roads are shifting; the intersection of markets can be a great thing—foot traffic, always is.
To herald the pop up, an overtly casual get-together (akin to hanging out with the neighbor) ensued; with guests freely grabbing beers from the fridge, the event was comparable to raiding a friend’s closet—while sitting on stools, drink in hand, we chatted and listened to live music by Transit Records’ Duality. With a rollout of activations including a screen-printing workshop and a back-to-back panel talk, the collaborative sprint was capped off with substantial discussions circling brand and product—but the real conversation on retail has merely begun.
