Rifle Paper Co. was founded in 2009 by Anna and Nathan Bond. Based in Florida this unique, custom-made stationery company has gone from strength to strength. With the help of their UK distributor, Northlight Design, Rifle Paper Co. has set up shop on the King’s Road. We caught up with the owners to find out how they turned this empty space into a blooming paradise.
How did you discover Rifle Paper Co. and what appealed to you about the brand?
We first discovered Rifle Paper Co. about three years ago through Pinterest. We were thrilled to become their UK distributor in October 2013.
How important is it to give Northlight Design's brands a physical retail presence?
The pop-up shop format works for us on many levels: firstly, we wanted to officially launch the Spring Rifle Paper Co. collection and we wanted to increase brand awareness of Rifle Paper Co. in the UK. Obviously, there are certain products which customers really want to physically see and touch, and pop-ups can give customers the opportunity to do this. The Rifle Paper Co. paper products are all printed in the US and have a great tactile quality, as well as a wonderful design aesthetic, customers have loved to be able to see and feel the full collection in one place. In addition to these points, we thought it a wonderful opportunity to display the range to wholesale customers in a physical shop as an alternative to a stand in an exhibition hall.
This is the first retail store for Rifle Paper Co. in the UK, why did you pick King’s Road for it?
The Rifle Paper Co. brand is already sold in many wonderful retail outlets throughout the UK, but the range is quite extensive and we wanted to showcase the collection in its entirety. We chose the pop-up site on King’s Road because of its wonderful leafy aesthetic and the King’s Road on a sunny Spring day is a fantastic place to be. The site very much suited our needs and having the two levels meant that we could have separate retail and wholesale floors. We particularly liked this end of King’s Road as there are more independent and unique shops.
The store looks amazing, can you talk us through the design process?
The shop itself is a wonderful, light space, so we had a great starting point to work with. We had very clear design ideas for the shop and how it should be laid out. We knew that we wanted to use the Rifle Paper Co. card designs, ‘Stop and Smell the Roses’ and ‘Life is Beautiful’ in each of the front windows and create an eye catching interpretation for each of these cards to draw customers into the shop. We were fortunate also to get creative input, particularly for the window displays, from Anna Bond, the designer of the Rifle Paper Co. range.
Where did you sources all the materials and props from – we've got our eyes on that bike in the window!
We sourced the vintage Pashley Bike from E-bay and our wonderful flowers were sourced at the New Covent Garden Flower Market by our Graphic + Floral designer, Julie Nelson Rhodes. The beautiful vase in the front window was an Amy Merrick design from West Elm and the display stands are from Normann Copenhagen.
Do you have any tricks for getting people on the street to come inside?
The Rifle Paper Co. brand has a huge following on social media, so many avid supporters of the brand from all over the UK have already made a visit to the shop. We very much wanted the window displays to be appealing to passersby and entice customers into the shop.
What's been your best selling product so far, any surprises here?
The art prints have been selling exceptionally well. There are certain products which customers like to physically see and the art prints look wonderful framed on the wall.
What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone else looking to launch a pop-up shop?
It is essential to promote your pop up via social media and in the press, ideally prior to the launch, and merchandise and design the pop-up according to the ethos of your brand. We wanted to create a sense of permanency in the shop design, even though we are only in the shop for two weeks.
Discover Rifle Paper Co. in 330 King's Road until May 18th. Inspired by their story? Find space for your idea in Chelsea
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