A new trend is popping up in Goa. Pop-up markets are the new ‘in’ thing as they
have proven to be a hit with the organisers and the buyers, and therefore are
being held in big numbers across the state of Goa. For the uninitiated, a pop-up
market is basically a place where young entrepreneurs, students and hobbyists
can take up stalls and exhibit/sell their products. In most cases, a pop-up
market acknowledges and supports emerging local brands that are fresh,
creative, unique and vibrant to be able to strive and sustain in the creative
industry.
Young entrepreneurs Natasha Parekh and
Bhakti Hirani happened to visit a pop-up in Margao two years ago and were
impressed with the number of home entrepreneurs putting up stalls full of
colourful stuff right from clothing, jewellery, home decor to confectionery.
The idea inspired the duo to experiment with a similar idea in the capital city
– ‘Monsoon Flea’, which took place in June 2016. The event proved to be a
massive success and the duo has gone on to organise several similar pop-ups –
some even in collaboration with properties such as Goa Marriott Resort and Spa.
When asked about the experience and the learnings thus far,
Natasha says, “The experience has been beyond wonderful! We were thrilled with
the number of participants we had in our first pop-up. We were sold out and
that was a great feeling.” She adds, “Each event we’ve had so far has been a
learning experience, in terms of the expectations participants and shoppers
have from us, and it has allowed us to learn how to better ourselves whilst
keeping the participant as well as the shopper happy.” The duo will be
celebrating two years of this initiative in June, and to mark the occasion, are
organising ‘Pop It Up’ at Taleigao Community Centre on May 27, 2018.
A few weeks ago, Kenilworth Resort and Spa in Utorda couldn’t
resist the hype the trend has created, and perhaps for the first time, toyed
with the concept by having a pop-up market at the property, titled ‘Kenilworth
Kaleidoscope’. Curated by Miriam Gracias, the pop-up market was organised by
Karla Faleiro and Anushka Rodrigues from Popsicle Inc, and was truly a
kaleidoscope of all things colourful, creative, delicious and fun. The response
that the event enjoyed has prompted the management of the property to consider
organising similar events in the future. Reginald Fernandes, EAM, Kenilworth
Resort and Spa, says, “We got a good response from the neighbouring villages
and Margao and Vasco cities. There were five more events happening in the
vicinity on the same day, and we felt we could have still got more crowd if
there was no overlapping on events, especially keeping the pop-up market
vendors and their sales in mind. From the food and beverage prospective, it was
fabulous and we were very happy with the response. We even had guests walk up
to us and say that we should do more of such events.”
For
Malaika Gracias e Miranda, one of the vendors who participated at the pop-up
market with her brand, ‘It’s All About Paper’, a pop-up market was just the
right place to be. She says, “Since ours is an online sale brand, pop-ups help
us in showcasing all our products. It’s a great platform to meet, greet and
exchange business ideas. We have ended up being friends with our clients,
through these pop-ups. From customer perspective, while online shopping comes
sans the advantage of ‘touch and feel’ of the product, these pop-up sales let
the client hold the product and choose it according to the colours they see.”