• Spend $200+ and receive $50 OFF The Eyelet Oxford 2.0 Shop Now
  • Free shipping over $200. Easy returns, always.
  • Earn, redeem, and save with Poppy Perks Rewards. Join Now
 CAD
 

Picking Poppy Barley's Vancouver Store Location: A Guide to Finding the Perfect Retail Space

5-minute read

On May 5, 2023, we opened the doors to our first (highly anticipated!) store in Vancouver. Picking the perfect location for our YVR store was no small feat! Read on to learn about the process.

Hi! I am Justine, Poppy Barley's co-founder and co-CEO alongside my sister Kendall. One of the more exciting things I did in the past year was help select the location for PB's first Vancouver Store.

As a company, we’ve had a relationship with Vancouver for 10 years. We visit 3 to 4x per year to host pop-ups (and run the seawall) and ship an ever-growing amount of ecommerce orders into the V5K. With so much growth in Vancouver, the time had come to add physical retail to Vancouver. The search for the perfect location was long and sometimes frustrating.

Working with a Commercial Real Estate Agent in Vancouver

We started by enlisting a commercial real estate agent familiar with the local market - Blake from Colliers. He was our source of local information and connections. To start our search, Blake needed to know our ideal store size (1600 to 2000 sq ft), the approximate timing to open, and the areas we were interested in. He showed us multiple spaces and ultimately helped us negotiate a deal.

Kendall and I are pretty familiar with Vancouver, despite having never lived here. We both went to high school in Prince George and Kendall went to university in Victoria. Plus, we have many friends and most of our dad’s side living in the area. So we honed in pretty quickly on the two shopping areas we wanted to consider - West 4th/Kitsilano and Mount Royal in North Vancouver.

Factors We Considered in our Location Search

Key things that made us interested in those two areas were:

  • Strong co-tenancies (aka other brands we’d be neighbours with that draw a similar customer) and an overall great shopping experience.
  • The geography of our current customers, which we mapped out, aligns with those areas. We also have many customers outside those areas as you’d expect in a large city.
  • Talking to locals friends and business friends for their input. There was a lot of talk about which bridges in Vancouver people are willing to cross!
  • The economics - basically comparing the average rents to what we could glean of the area’s productivity (total sales or sales per sq. foot.)

  • Generally, enclosed malls have one landlord that tenants report sales to. So they are able to share detailed information on revenue. Street front locations generally have many small landlords making it much harder to find information on productivity.

    We visited both and spent a lot of time walking around those two areas, gathering the information you can’t find online, like how busy the street was, how people walked the street, and the feeling of each.

    In the end, we decided that, while Mount Royal is beautiful, West 4th would make more sense for a 1st store - it is more central for more people and is increasingly becoming a destination for new brand discovery.

    Photo by Matt Taylor

    Photo by Alyssa Dawson

    Touring Potential Locations

    We again toured West 4th and saw all available spaces but nothing was right: they were either too narrow with no frontage, too far off the main shopping zone or too large for us.

    So we waited. And waited. And waited a bit more.

    At one point, we offered on a different space but it fell through in negotiations.

    More waiting.

    It’s Official: West 4th, Here We Come

    Finally, Blake brought to our attention a space that was softly available - not yet listed but coming to the market and we moved fast to scoop it. Most things about the space are ideal - its location in the heart of the best shopping area on West 4th and its soaring ceiling heights with skylights and great building condition. We were excited enough that we were willing to compromise on its size - it is only 1200 sq. feet which is teeny for a shoe store and will make our backroom planning feel like Tetris.

    In the end, 2144 West 4th was the perfect location for us and we are so excited to bring you an official Poppy Barley store there in May 2023.



    COMING SOON

    Poppy Barley West 4th

    JOIN VANCOUVER WAITLIST

    COMING SOON

    Poppy Barley West 4th

    JOIN VANCOUVER WAITLIST

    Older Post Newer Post

    All Day Comfort

    Feel-good footwear in medium and wide widths.

    Reformed Pricing

    We skip the luxury markups to offer fair prices on high-quality products.

    Responsibly Made

    Ethically made in audited factories with planet-conscious materials.

    Subscribe for early access to new releases and $25 off your first purchase.

    The Harley Heeled Sandal Ankle Size Guide

    How To Measure:
    The Harley Heeled Sandal: Take a tape measure and wrap it around your foot, right below your ankle bone as that is where the strap will sit (see product imagery and fit video for a visual demonstration). This measurement is based on the last adjustment point on the strap.

    Size Strap length will accommodate an ankle measurement up to the size below
    5 26 cm
    5.5 26.5 cm
    6 27 cm
    6.5 27 cm
    7 27.5 cm
    7.5 27.5 cm
    8 28 cm
    8.5 28 cm
    9 28 cm
    9.5 28.5 cm
    10 28.5 cm
    10.5 29 cm
    11 29 cm
    11.5 30 cm
    12 30 cm

    The Esther Heeled Sandal Ankle Size Guide

    How to Measure:
    The Esther Heeled Sandal: take a tape measure and wrap it around your ankle, above the ankle bone, as that is where the strap will sit (see product imagery and fit video for a visual demonstration). This measurement is based on the last adjustment point on the strap.

    Size Strap length will accommodate an ankle measurement up to the size below
    5 23 cm
    5.5 23 cm
    6 23 cm
    6.5 23 cm
    7 24 cm
    7.5 24 cm
    8 24.5 cm
    8.5 24.5 cm
    9 24.5 cm
    9.5 25 cm
    10 25 cm
    10.5 25.5 cm
    11 26 cm
    11.5 26 cm
    12 26 cm

    Belt Sizes

    Natural Waist Measurement Typical Jean Size Belt Size for High‑rise Pant Belt Size for Mid‑rise Pant Infinite Belt Size
    23-25" 23/24 26" 28" 1
    25-26" 25 28" 30" 1
    26-27" 26 30" 32" 1
    27-28" 27 30" 32" 1
    28-29" 28 32" 34" 2
    29-30" 29 32" 34" 2
    30-31" 30 34" 36" 2
    31-32" 31 34" 36" 2
    32-33" 32 36" 38" 3
    33-34" 33 36" 38" 3
    34-35" 34 38” 40" 3
    36-37" 36 38" 40" 3
    38-39" 38 40" 42" 4
    40-41" 40 40" 42" 4
    42-43" 42 44" 46" 4
    43-44" 43 44" 46" 5
    44-45" 44 46" - 5

    Sizing Note: For the most accurate fit, measure around your body where you plan to wear the belt. Choose the closest belt size to that measurement.

    Belt Diagram Accent Belt and Complement BeltThe Accent Belt, The Polished Belt and The Complement Belt size measurements start from the beginning of the leather to the middle hole.

    Belt Diagram Infinite BeltThe Infinite Belt size measurements cover the entire length of the leather.



    Belt Measuring Guide

    Belt Measuring Guide

    A - High-rise style:

    If you plan to wear your belt around your natural waistline, wrap a measuring tape around the narrowest part of your midsection. Then, add 3” to determine your high-rise belt size.

    B - Mid-rise style:

    If you plan to wear your belt lower than your natural waistline, you will require a dierent size. If you have a particular pair of bottoms you intend to wear your belt with, wrap a measuring tape through the belt loops while in a relaxed position.

    When wearing your belt in your preferred style, it should fasten in the middle hole. The belt will relax with wear allowing you to cinch it tighter, as needed.

    If you plan to wear the belt in both the high and mid-rise styles, you have two options:

    1. Select your high-rise style and fasten it more loosely when worn in the mid-rise style.
    2. Select your mid-rise style and fasten it more tightly when worn in the high-rise style.