Small Business: Popping up in a new space

The Tosca & Salome brand now includes an online shop and a summer store in Takapuna. Photo / iStock

A shop no longer has to mean bricks and mortar and a bell over the door.

The online store has grown out of a desire from people to be able to buy our products year round. Bex Riley was living in the beach-lovers' paradise of the Balearic Islands when she was hit with the inspiration for her fashion retail business Tosca & Salome.

She wanted to bring a taste of the Spanish islands' laidback style to New Zealand and thought the mobile boutiques she had seen popping up overseas would be a great way to deliver her offerings direct to the beach boho set.

Riley is now heading into her third summer cruising around festivals and beaches with her Wanderlust Boutique, housed in a converted school bus.

The Tosca & Salome brand now includes an online shop and a summer store in Takapuna and Riley is looking at establishing a permanent store.

"I certainly think without having this unique business space Tosca & Salome wouldn't have attracted the attention or following I've had so far," says Riley.

"We were always so flat out at the festivals we operated at. People would say, 'When are you opening a store?' or 'I follow you on Instagram and finally I can come and try everything on.'

"The online store has grown out of a desire from people to be able to buy our products year round."

As Riley's experience shows, a cool space can have a wider effect on a business' growth.

Gosia Piatek is the founder and creative director of fashion brand Kowtow, housed in a space overlooking Wellington Harbour.

Piatek believes it's helpful for a creative business if the workspace aesthetic aligns with the product or the service the company is creating.

"Our clothes are very minimal and we have a simple aesthetic, so our space needed to feel minimal and uncluttered," says Piatek.

"The space is mostly white, with ply desks and green plants. The desks were made by my dad and people respect that, so they look after them and keep them tidy and uncluttered.

"We run a tight ship and that attention to detail has a chain effect that carries over to everything - how things are stacked in the workroom, how the clothes hang on the racks, how the paper is folded around our online orders."