Our Fixer Upper: Gathered Mercantile Preview
As we get closer and closer to our grand opening in the next month, I wanted to share a little preview of what to expect from our mercantile space. My vision for this mercantile is really a unique concept that has not really been done in this area before. The inspiration for the concept came from a couple of different places. First being the local experience of Market 301 every month- getting to meet and collaborate with so many wonderful local vendors, which made me start thinking about providing some kind of permanent pop-up market space. Second would be our visit to Waco last year, when we went to shop at one of the must-see local attractions: Spice Village. I got halfway through the giant warehouse-sized space before I realized the store was actually made up of over 50 separate booths and vendors. Everything was very open and flowed together so well from space to space, yet each vendor was able to customize their space. I really latched on to that concept and couldn't stop thinking about how I could make it work back home.
As soon as I started planning the retail portion of the Amsden, I knew a collection of local vendors, makers, and artists would be the core of the space. I've always loved featuring and promoting other local brands through Miss Molly Vintage and have wholesaled many of the vendors who will be featured at Gathered Mercantile. Giving each vendor more of an opportunity to have a permanent space that they can really make their own is an important element of our store. The overall space will be very open though (one large room with no dividing walls), so you can easily move from space to space and visualize how all the different products + makers coordinate. My merchandise will be sprinkled throughout the space instead of in one specific area (we'll have our own jewelry, clothing, home, + fresh flowers and plants sections). I will do a lot of collaborative displays featuring my favorite products from different vendors too. The mercantile will also host lots of workshops + events, giving the vendors the opportunity to teach, share, and interact with customers whether it be through a DIY project, tutorial, or shopping party! I really hope that this will be a concept that is super successful and worth while for the vendors and that we will be able to keep expanding and adding more and more. We want the entire Amsden building to feel like a community with all the businesses supporting and collaborating with each other. Take a look at a round-up of the first batch of vendors that we have signed on to join us through the holiday season below (you can click on any of them to find more info too!). Which vendors are you the most excited to shop?
xoxo
Emily
