Pear Pop Up, a new consignment event, is taking place this Mother’s Day weekend at Kalispell Mall.
Josie Hiivala and Alexa Johnston started the event to create a practical and accessible way to shop for little-loved items including women’s and children’s clothing, accessories, children’s clothing and items, and home décor. All items at the event must be free of scratches, rips, stains, lint, or loose edges.
There will also be a Mother’s Day section with flower bouquets, macarons, cupcakes, stationery, candles, and other new gift-worthy items.
“We are all talking about the quality of the item,” Hevala said.
A retail pop-up store is one that operates as a special event for a short period of time.
Their love of shopping inspired them to start Pear Pop Up. Johnston enjoys aesthetic browsing and creating beautifully resale stores and dreams up the idea of having something similar in Flathead Valley. After mentioning the event idea to Hiivala, a web designer and developer, Pear Pop Up was launched.
Johnston explained the event as “a resale consignment coupled with an event experience.” “Think of an event but set up like a boutique,” she said. “Boutique but at lower prices. Lower prices but also the community. Think of society over competition. We want this to be the place to bring moms, women, creative industries and local businesses together in one place.”
The event will feature food vendors and a space to hang out, have coffee with friends and meet people.
“We want people to establish connections with others in the community, even with missionaries,” Hevala said.
Pear Pop Up runs Thursday, May 5 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and then on Friday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
On Friday, there will be a licensed massage therapist who will provide a 15-minute massage.
The last day of the event is Saturday 7 May from 10am-4pm which will be a discount day with an additional 25% off.
To attend on Thursday or Friday, shoppers must purchase a $5 ticket, but Saturday is free. Shoppers can purchase their tickets online to skip the opening night queue.
Pear Pop Up is a zero pre-sale event which means shoppers will be able to browse completely pristine stock.
Other vendors at the event include Sable Coffee, Chick-fil-A, Sage and Bloom, Forage and Floral, Sprouts, Luco Cards, Butterkrem and Luralu.
Hiivala was pleased with the expected number of missionaries. Another goal of the event is to allow local retailers to deliver additional inventory.
“We have already doubled the number of dispatchers needed for this event,” she said. “Local businesses will sell past seasons’ inventory at cheap, discounted rates.”
The long-term goal of Hiivala and Johnston is to hold the event twice a year, in April and October. We want everyone to walk away from this event and think ‘Wow, I can’t wait to shop/sell at this event again!’ on their website.
More information about the Pear Pop Up shipment event can be found at pearpopup.com or through Instagram.
