Twitter inspires Kalispell woman to try new business model
One local businesswoman is aiming to bring a business trend that started in Los Angeles, and has since erupted in metropolitan areas the world over, into the Flathead Valley.
Karlene Khor is opening a pop-up store at 222 Main St. in Kalispell. The store, dubbed “Seasons,” will open four times a year for four to six weeks at a time to sell an array of furniture and other home goods.
Khor thinks the pop-up retail model, which she first read about on Twitter, could be a great answer to the difficulties of the seasonal slumps in the Flathead Valley.
“This is kind of a crazy, larkey thing to do,” Khor said.
It is common knowledge that many businesses struggle to garner customers in the Flathead between the winter and summer tourist seasons, and she said she expects this to save her money on staffing during periods that are historically slow and allow her time to revamp her inventory so each time she opens she has a fresh array of products.
Khor is a manager with La Lark LLC, which owns the building that offers a unique platform to give her unorthodox business approach a try. The building was constructed in 1949, and was originally a high-end women’s boutique fashion store called Anderson Style Shop.
She has networked with her fellow Flathead High School graduates who are still in the valley to get an assortment of old furniture and artwork, and is quite happy with how it has all gone.
The building has a second floor that potentially could be used, as well, and if the business model proves to be a popular one Khor plans to open it up and hire additional staff. She also has unique goods such as Prada shoes and limited-edition Pendleton blankets. She expects items to be priced between $5 and $500.
The first seasonal pop-up, which is set to open on Wednesday, April 18, will be headlined by the work of local craftsman Tom White.
White, 27, specializes in natural-wood furniture, often adorned with elk-antler handles that he has foraged for himself. A couple of his projects for sale can be seen through the front window of the store on Main Street.
White has been doing carpentry for the past 10 years, but since a car accident last November, the woodworking has taken on new meaning in his life. White has undergone facial reconstruction surgery, and expects to have another 16 surgeries before he can put the event behind him.
In the meantime, carpentry is providing him an outlet to support his growing family. White and his fiancé, Hope Hayes, have a daughter on the way. She helps paint some of the furniture he makes and helps him find new outlets to promote his handiwork. White plans on building an octagonal crib for their new daughter.
“I’ve noticed every time he makes something he gets a little bit better,” Hayes said.
More information on White’s carpentry and contact information can be found on his Facebook page called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” at https://www.facebook.com/dreadwite/.
Khor also plans to put up a Facebook page where those interested can find more information on this and future pop-up shows. It will be called “Seasons.” She expects the summer show to begin the last week in June and run through July.
Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.