The business of curating a Loveable online and pop-up store

15 Nov 2017

Just in time to avoid the Christmas shopping panic mode most consumers snap into come November, The Loveables pop-up store has opened online as well as a brick-and-mortar store in Brickworks, at 13 Brickfield Road, Salt River. It's a gorgeous space packed with curated homeware, garden, baby and décor gift ideas. Curator Tammy Holmes shares the biggest challenge they've faced...

As lovely as the life events that signify a housewarming, wedding and baby shower can be, for friends and family attending those events, there’s often not enough time and knowledge of where the couple’s tastes really lie to get them something special that you know they’ll love. That’s why many panic or chicken out and go the easy route – the dreaded gift voucher.

Now, instead of getting your friend who has just become a mother a generic teddy bear or bib set from the local family-friendly store that they’re bound to get duplicates of, why not browse the gift hampers carefully curated by interior designer Sue Lederle, her daughter Tammy Holmes and team, comprising complementary items – think unique, soft stuffed toy, blanket and booties or plush crib mobile and covetable padded changing mat.

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Complementary, curated gifting

For the friends who’ve just gotten married or moved into their first home together, with a mish-mash of cheap student digs accommodation and dare-we-call-it-décor accessories – how about an elegant set of linens or a tea set including sugar and bespoke silk bags?

There's a focus on local with a touch of classy international brands throughout the offerings, which makes wandering through the store such a pleasure – you just know you’ll find everything you’re looking for under one roof.

If you prefer the point-and-click shopping style, you’re in luck as the team is also on hand with design and décor consultation advice as needed and the online store powered by Shopify means you can sign yourself up for a wedding or baby registry.

I caught up with Holmes for insights into why they opened a pop-up store, the process of setting up with Shopify, and feedback from customers so far…

Explain the need for a curated online registry like this.
The need is twofold. Firstly, as couples are getting married later and a little older, most have accumulated a lot of ‘stuff’ by the time they join homes. We felt that designing a service around allowing people to redecorate or freshen up a space in their together home would be a much better way for friends and family to contribute to the start of their new lives together.

Secondly, on the curated gift side, most people want a stylish home or want to give a gift that the recipient really loves and needs, but they either don’t have the time to run around sourcing pieces that'll work together or don’t know how to achieve a look that'll work.

This is where the Loveables interior décor team comes in. We have extensive experience in making homes beautiful and have worked together to create must-have décor, kitchen, homeware and contemporary gift sets that are in limited supply and change often, making sure they stay on the pulse of what’s happening on the design and décor scene.

Tell us why you opted for a pop-up store.
Despite living in a digital era, people still love touching and feeling things before they buy them and we love the idea of meeting our customers to work with them to give a gift that has been thought-out and designed around the recipient. We have so many amazing products on both the baby and décor side that we want our customers to experience them all in real life.

List a few of the brands you curate from.
On the baby brand side, we have opted for local designers and suppliers to support proudly South African, mostly female-owned and female-run businesses. Some of these brands include Kapas Baby, Ruby Melon, Pikkie Kids, Myang, Little Love, Lily n Jack and Cinnamon Sue. On the décor and home side, we stock Jamie Oliver, KitchenAid, Mungo, Vendange, Le Creuset, and various other amazing brands.

Delving deeper into the business side of things, talk us through the process of setting up with Shopify.

Loveables worked with web designers and developers from Future Creative to build the super complex backend that Loveables requires.

Because there are two sides to the website – namely an instant-purchase shop and a registry service that allows you to create your ultimate gift list, we worked closely with the international team who designed the Shopify template used for Loveables, to customise it for our requirements.

We still have a few things on the website that we’d like to fine-tune, but it’s an ever-evolving work in progress!

I know it’s early days yet, but what has feedback from customers been like so far?
Customers are loving the variety and style we have on the curated gift side of the site, but our biggest challenge is breaking the habit of gift shopping at old faithfuls.

On the registry side, our customers are super excited about the prospect of designing a new look for a space in their home, and getting their friends and family to contribute instead of receiving an abundance of stuff they don’t need.

It seems the Loveables team really has taken the hassle out of gifting – uninspired duplicate gifts and vouchers begone! The pop-up store is only open on weekdays from 9am to 4pm until 15 December 2017, so get there, fast. You can also visit www.loveables.co.za, phone +27 021 434 2699 or email hello@loveables.co.za or follow them on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Leigh Andrews

About Leigh Andrews

Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.