A very wooly Pop Up by We Are Knitters (WAK) took over our favorite boutique space at 251 Elizabeth for three months, ending on January 13th.
If you love knitting, you probably know We Are Knitters and their “Do It Yourself” kits with everything you need to knit your own garments.
Besides DIY knitting kits, WAK also offers online tutorials to learn how to knit and use their kits and organizes parties and workshops to share this hobby with other knitting fans.
With a community of over 715,000 knit lovers, this incredible brand founded in 2011, in Spain, is a case study of international e-commerce success and has become a real reference in the DIY niche.
Although it was founded in Madrid by two young Spanish entrepreneurs, the first idea sparked in the New York City subway during a business trip. They saw a young girl doing something they both associated with a granny activity – she was knitting on the subway train – but there was a modern touch to it as she was using huge needles and a big shiny pink ball of yarn.
We Are Knitters’ basis for success is its vision that knitting could slowly become a trendy hobby for a younger demographic, and the sense of community involvement in this activity.
Additionally, to engage with their community, WAK organizes knitting parties so they can meet their customers face to face, and what better way to do this for an online retailer than a Pop Up shop? We Are Knitters has an excellent community engagement strategy and has already Popped Up in several countries!
Read on to find out more about the Pop Up experience of We Are Knitters in New York!
Parasol Projects: How did the NY public take the initiative? Did it meet your expectations?
We Are Knitters: Besides the pandemic consequences, the public took the initiative really positively. We expected lots of people to come into the Pop Up because the area we chose was very busy, and this was exactly what happened. During the first week, we had people outside the store waiting for the opening. We also had long lines of people waiting to join some of our free knitting and crochet classes. It was incredible to see!
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs or native digital brands regarding Pop Ups?
Based on our experience, we think that location is key. New York is a great place to open your first Pop Up, but it is really important to choose the correct location with good traffic and make an investment in it.
Also, there’s a lot of work to do in order to create a good atmosphere and in-store experience. As e-commerce brands are not used to interacting physically with clients, it is important to choose the correct team and try to make the in-store experience as good as possible.
What are your plans for the future of WAK?
Hopefully, we can open more physical stores around the world. We made Paris, New York, and let’s see what’s next!
Was this your first Pop Up in NYC? How was your experience popping up with Parasol Projects? Would you repeat it?
Yes, it was our first Pop Up in NYC, and working with Parasol made it really easy. Due to travel restrictions, we were not able to be there for the Pop Up opening, which was a bit frustrating and challenging for us. Thanks to Parasol and the team we had there, everything was perfect.
Also, during the months we had the Pop Up running, it was really easy to fix problems thanks to Gabi, a member of Parasol that was there to help us. We would of course recommend it!
We Are Knitters reel
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WAK Contact Information
Website: www.weareknitters.com
Instagram: @weareknitters
Facebook: @weareknitters
Get to Know Other Pop Up Stories
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Love Yourself, with Fanny Karaman – Rue du Paradis
Scripts Re-Imagined, with Timothy Mendonça – scriptART
Good Vibes Only, with Mary Kathryn – LOVEMKM
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