Gone are the days when pop-ups were confined to disused, empty retail sites, as Erin O'Loughlin discovers.
When Limedrop refers to its pop-up store as The Greenhouse, it’s not making some obscure fashion reference.
The unisex label's temporary retail space in Melbourne Central shopping centre is, in fact, an aluminium frame greenhouse, decked out with custom-fitted plywood and perspex for walls. As Limedrop co-designer Nathan Price explains, the concept was not the brand's own.
“The greenhouse idea originally came from Melbourne Central,” he says. “It's unusual for a shopping centre to host such a project but it seems to work in Melbourne Central, especially with the Stephanie Alexander edible garden on the link bridge behind us.”
With only 15 square metres of floor space to play with, Price and fellow Limedrop designer Clea Garrick hired consultancy firm Wonder to conceive the store's fit-out.
“We wanted a modular, free-standing system that could be packed down when not in use,” Price says. “The solution they came up with is amazing. We can easily expand the system if we need to in the future and it's very flexible.”
The clothing racks are built from Victorian ash timber and powder-coated steel shelves and hold everything from rings and earrings (from RRP$27) to Limedrop's silk jackets ($440). Small succulents dangle from the ceiling in keeping with the greenhouse theme.
It is the second retail venture for Limedrop, following a temporary store in Melbourne's GPO in the summer of 2009/10. Price says the Melbourne Central pop-up is scheduled to remain open all summer.
“We're aiming for new stock to arrive every two weeks or so. Everything is made in Melbourne so we are able to alter our production to suit demand.”
Despite the benefits Price says Limedrop derives from retail – including exposure to a new customer base and the ability to showcase an entire collection – the label is unlikely to take on a long-term lease just yet.
“We want to make sure we can look after our existing stores and continue to create the best ranges possible before we expand into full-time retail. One thing we've come to realise is that retail is a totally different business and we need to treat it as such.”