my life, spirituality, travels and more
Wrapping up 2021 & What I learned from hosting Pop Up Shop(s) in Helsinki
Well hello hello, long time no blog.
Thanks for tuning back into my scribbles! We are soon to be wrapping up the year, so I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon this past year and also share some of my experiences from now having hosted two Pop Up Shops for my yoga clothing brand, Moonah Wear. And, yes, if you’ve lived under a rock, this may be new information for you, but I launched my own sustainable yoga clothing line back in 2020.
Having my own yoga clothing company, in addition to being an entrepreneur within the fields of wellness and yoga has been a rollercoaster and such a massive learning experience. I’d be lying if I wouldn’t also say it’s at times been challenging, frustrating, scary and even stressful. That being said, I get to work with things I love.
Okay, so I think it’s fair to say this year has been a crappy sequel to 2020 (in terms of the pandemic). Right now, infection rates are on the rise and new restrictions in place here in Helsinki (hence having the time to write this blog post as all yoga studios are currently closed). Looking at the bright side however, it seems as if this new variant may be less dangerous 🤷♀️. Anyways, this blog post is most definitely not about the big C, but neglecting its affect on us all when reflecting upon the last year would also be disingenuous. The toll it has had on us small business owners is devastating.
If you follow me on instagram, you may have seen my stories last year about me missing out on all Christmas Sales with Moonah Wear due to the pandemic and various production problems (not that I expect you to remember them lol 😅). Due to that experience, I had decided that history was not going to repeat itself this year. This is why I had decided to book a venue for hosting my very first Pop Up Shop in the heart of Helsinki before Christmas. Turns out renting a beautiful venue in the city centre is not only expensive, but quite challenging as a one (wo)man show. Long story short and a few meetings later, the lovely Pukhraj Ranjan from Moi Namaste and I decided to team up as we share the same values, are both female entrepreneurs working within the sustainable textile industry and both quite new to the world of running our own businesses. Together we decided to co-host our beautiful Mindful Moments at Spalt PR on Iso Roobertinkatu 30 in Helsinki in November and then another Pop Up Shop in Ullanlinna on Tehtaankatu in December.
As my business is an e-commerce business, the whole idea with the Pop Up Shop was to create a week filled with different events so that people would get a chance to get the full brand experience, meet up with the founder, hear the story behind Moonah Wear and get a chance to see and try on the yoga wear in person. We made sure to create an interesting schedule with free events everything from sound baths, yoga, a full moon circle to even an influencer event with Champagne Yoga.
Our beautiful Instagram wall wouldn’t have been the same without the Peacock chair from Parolan Rottinki. Pic by Johanna Keto.
The key is having a killer Instagram Wall
But, the one thing that lured in customers and people alike (in addition to the great location in Punavuori), was our amazing Instagram Wall. And this, we wouldn’t have been able to pull off without some of our very generous sponsors including Parolan Rottinki with the most stunning Queen chair (they call it the Peacock chair, but honestly, I felt more like a Queen on my throne on that chair 👸) and Cafe Cucca with their flower installation.
The chair was such a hit, because not only did almost every single customer and guest snap a photo of themselves on it, they also shared it on their socials, tagging us and generating more traffic and brand awareness for us.
Another great advantage with the chair was that we had positioned it just in front of the main entrance to the shop with a neon sign saying “This must be the place”. This created curiosity in all the people passing by, as they would see the “throne” and that sign, eventually wanting to come check out what it was all about.
MY TAKEOFF FROM HOSTING TWO POP UP SHOPS
Hosting a week filled with events and manning a shop morning to night was tiresome, but such a great experience. We got to meet with so many customers in person and to share our stories and make new connections. I also believe it created more brand awareness and even a small buzz for our brands during that one week period. It did result in more sales than a regular e-comm week as well. I also loved working and collaborating with another woman owned business, as it can be quite lonely at times running my own company. We even created a collaboration Kimono (the Lunar Kimono) as a lovechild from our collab. The Kimono is made out of GOTS certified cotton with a traditional block printing technique honouring Indian craftsmanship.
Our second Pop Up Shop was not as successful as the first one we hosted in Punavuori. I think for a number of reasons: first, the location was not as great as the one of our initial Pop Up, secondly, we didn’t have the same killer Instagram wall (even if we had the gorgeous chair on display), third, nor did we host daily free events, as the space was smaller, not to mention the infection rates were on the rise again. Now in hindsight, I am happy we hosted both Pop Up Shops, as I definitely learned so much from both of them. In 2022 I am most definitely looking to host more Pop Up Shops, making sure to create an Instagram Wall in each single one and perhaps even taking Moonah Wear on a tour to my beloved Sayulita, Mexico.
But in the meantime, stay tuned and follow Moonah Wear on instagram check out the most beautiful chair from Parolan Rottinki, as they also recently just restocked (it’s been out of stock for a while) and make sure to also give me a follow to stay in the know of my upcoming shenanigans.
Thanks so much for the read and wishing you a happy, abundant 🎉NEW YEAR 2022 🎉
X,
Eva
Below you will find a mixture of some pictures from the Pop Up Shop at Spalt, Pukhraj and me, Moonah Wear shots, as well as the collaboration Kimono and the new High Priestess Hoodie.
Follow your bliss: Why I quit my job
FOLLOW YOUR BLISS: WHY I QUIT MY JOB
One of the biggest struggles for me has always been decision making. Be it big or small, I find myself pondering the options and outcomes way too long. Lately though, I feel as the universe has been handing me big platters of decision making practice and I am slowly honing this skill and becoming more intuitive, especially when it comes to decision making for myself.
I feel like I’ve always been pretty gifted in seeing and supporting my peers in the right direction for their highest self, but when it comes to myself, it’s often been foggy, messy and uncertain. Luckily though and like I wrote in a previous blog text on my decision to relocate back to Finland (after having lived in Mexico for nearly seven years), I am slowly learning to listen to that squeaky little internal voice and whisper (before it becomes a roar).
After moving back to Finland, I quickly started working with event production. It was a massive change coming from the laid back beach life style and after having been my own boss and working within wedding planning and the hospitality and wellness industry in the tropics. All of a sudden I found myself in a hectic corporate world with completely new tasks, in a new environment and with a very different client base. With a pace where your daily hours run out and you add darkness, cold weather and adjusting to Finnish culture and customs into the mix, you have yourself one exhausted gal. And when exhaustion happens, energy shifts.
This shift manifested in many ways; I started experiencing bodily stress symptoms such as eye twitching, bloating and even mood swings. My body knew before my head did, it was time to slow down and change direction. It was simply way too much and way too fast. I did my best to keep pushing through as I didn’t want to give up and I thought to myself that maybe things would change for the better as there was a vague silver lining in foresight. When things didn’t fall through as I had hoped, I finally decided to resign. It was time to breakthrough my fears and leave the secure corporate world for the unknown world of entrepreneurship.
“My body knew before my head did, it was time to slow down and change direction.”
Letting the dead leaves drop.
Follow your bliss.
Because what it all comes down to is time. And life is short. The time you have in this precious life is scarce and your days are limited. As cliche as it may sound, if you’re not going to chase your dreams or try something you’ve always dreamt of, you’ll probably regret it later in life. Sure, it’s risky, crazy and nerve wrecking, but for me it is absolutely necessary and having regrets later is not an option. There’s also the benefit of working with what you love and on your own terms and you get to enjoy a whole new level of personal, professional and financial freedom. Besides, being an entrepreneur is not completely new to me as I used to work for myself also while living in Mexico. That being said, in all honesty, there’s a huge difference in running a business in Mexico compared to Finland. But, I am up for the challenge and more importantly, I simply have to give it a go.
I also believe in the phrase “todo pasa por algo”, meaning everything happens for a reason. I needed to go through this year to get clarity on what it is that I want to pursue and what is truly important to me. I am extremely grateful for this almost one year that I worked with a lovely team and for the fact that I get to call my ex colleagues not just my former co-workers, but friends. We had a good run and I truly wish the team all the best of luck and success in the future.
You know, it’s interesting now in hindsight reflect upon my decision and notice how big decisions and releases tend to happen around fall. There’s wisdom in nature and just like the trees you can let the dead leaves drop. You release and shed and let go of the things that did not serve you for something new and better.
So what does the future hold for me right now you might ask? Well, I am going to work with the things I love; yoga (corporate yoga classes, privates, studio classes and yoga retreats), wellness, copywriting, content creation and marketing. I am very open to new opportunities and projects and if you see that there is something we could work on together, make sure to drop me a line. I will also be launching something I’ve always dreamt of, so stay tuned for this secret I am revealing in the near future. Oh, but first things first, I am heading to Mexico to enjoy life on the beach for the darkest month of the year; November.
Let me know if you’ve made any similar transition or have any tips, tricks or input on this scary journey that I am about to embark. I would love to hear from you!
Stay tuned,
Con amor and excitement for this new chapter,
Eva
Why do I blog, but perhaps you should too?
Greetings dear readers,
Welcome to my world. Well, at least a glimpse of it. I started blogging (again) after a loooong break. Ever since I started writing again some people in my circle have been curious and reached out to me and asked me why I blog. This actually made me stop for a second and ponder that same question myself, and so I decided to open up and shed some light on it; WHY DO I BLOG. Ladies and gents lemme tell ya why:
First and foremost I actually enjoy writing. It’s a way for me to express and share my thoughts, passions, interests and ideas within my community. It feels really really good and empowering to put my thoughts down on a piece of paper (even if it’s in a virtual format). Interestingly enough writing is actually something that runs in my family, as my mama used to be a journalist and worked with communication until she finally retired this year. So, in it’s simplicity, it’s a way to communicate with you guys (ahum, if you’re actually reading this, comments are more than encouraged).
Secondly, I feel like it’s extremely therapeutic and I gain a lot of insight and clarity on how I actually think and feel about certain things or whatever it is that I am writing about, it simply helps me make sense of things. In addition to this, I feel like it’s making me commit to a practice or habit and teaches me to build discipline (self work, duh!). I also feel like it is helping me become more analytical and a better thinker, as I actually really think about the stuff I put out on the world wide web (aka my brain is getting more functional 🧠).
I also feel like it is helping me grow as a person, as I am putting myself and my thoughts out there and building my personal brand, and showcasing my world views and passions. That being said, I often worry and think “oh my gosh will they judge me, what will they think” etc etc BUT then I just remind myself that the thing is, I’d rather be judged than do shit, and actually judgment says way more about the person judging than the person being judged. Oh, and did I mention it’s the bomb for marketing and SEO? Yea, so I guess you should start now too (if you’re in the biz world)! In a nutshell, I gathered all my reasons here below:
I enjoy it + runs in the fam
I get to express myself, my views, thoughts, ideas, and beliefs
Great way to connect with my community and beyond
It challenges me and puts me out of my comfort zone + empowers me
It makes me more analytical and inspires me to read and dig more into the topics that interest me or the things I wanna discuss
It’s therapeutic
It gives me clarity and insight about how I feel and what I think
Personal brand development
It’s the bomb for SEO
It’s making me grow as a person (self development)
If you also happen to enjoy writing, it’s perhaps time you should give it a go as well?
Vamos.
Con amor y cariño,
Evita
Up close and personal.