Gerson Pettit Photo
The Makers Collective team decided to hold their first ever summer pop up-shop.
Gerson Pettit Photo
An online store is available for the more cautious shoppers.
Gerson Pettit Photo
Located at 2909 Old Buncombe Road, the pop-up shop is open for its final weekend – Friday--Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Encouraged by the success of five consecutive years of holiday pop-up shops, the Makers Collective team – Erin Godbey, Lib Ramos and Jen Moreau – decided to hold their first ever summer pop up-shop.
Moreau, Community Director at the Makers Collective, said a summer pop-up shop would help support makers and artists throughout the year. Originally scheduled for May, the Makers Collective Summer Pop Up Shop was postponed until June, in accordance with South Carolina guidelines for reopening businesses.
This event is one of the ways the Makers Collective continues supporting artists. “Our primary goal as an organization is to empower creative entrepreneurs and to build a supporting community around them,” Moreau said. “That’s been the case since the very beginning.”
Located at 2909 Old Buncombe Road, the pop-up shop is open for its final weekend – Friday--Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Godbey, Ramos and Moreau started Makers Collective in 2010 as a response to people leaving and their day jobs and “finding creative outlets as a replacement.”
Artists and makers are struggling because people have reduced their spending to what are traditionally considered essential purchases. However, Moreau said the Makers Collective “(sees) art and handmade (items) as essential.” Moreau encourages people to buy handmade goods and “be an advocate for the arts in these difficult times.”
The event is held in the organization’s office building, which features a fiber-art inspired mural, a discreet nod to Greenville’s textile heritage. This space is large enough to follow social distancing guidelines, and occupancy is limited. Shoppers will be required to wear facemasks, and only card payments will be accepted.
Additionally, the organization has opened an online store for the first time, for the more cautious shoppers.
Having smaller events allows the organization to “widen (their) network of creatives.” These events also provide more shopping opportunities for customers throughout the year. Moreau said sales have been lower compared to previous pop-up shops. But she remains optimistic. “Any event that we launch that is supporting makers and bringing in revenue for them is a success,” Moreau said.
The Makers Collective team will announce, on July 1, if its main annual event, Indie Craft Parade, will be held in September. Moreau said the team is “cautiously optimistic” it will. For now, safety protocols and venue limitations remain uncertain. The team is treating this experience as an experiment that will “determine how (they) proceed in the future.”
About the author. Gerson Petit is a senior English/Visual Studies double major at Bob Jones University.