Our first ever Give Simple Spring shopping event was this week, and we had a blast! Because we are an on line only business, it’s a little unusual shopping here. It’s an office and warehouse, not a store! We are really proud of our super cool loft space in a converted historical building near downtown Houston. We have a concrete floor, exposed brick and glass brick in the front, wood floors, a fireplace and huge factory style windows in the back, with an industrial high ceiling throughout. We have a full kitchen and a large bathroom since the lofts were originally residential. We use the black marble slab counter for a packing island, and store boxes to be recycled in the shower and tub! No wasted space here!

It takes about two full days to get ready for an event. We merchandise some key product categories in the conference room, and merchandise the shelves of the warehouse gondolas as best we can. We laid out jewelry and some accessories in my office. We have to make price sheets for all of the fixtures because our inventory doesn’t usually need prices.

What were the most popular items? Definitely melamine and handbags, just as we expected, and just as we focused our set up. We’re on our way to summer here, so we are already enjoying outdoor dining. While some friends added to their Le Cadeaux Italian “Pottery” melamine collection, several others were inspired by the buffet to buy Working Class Studio plates in 4 or 6 styles to mix and match.

Big Buddha and Murval handbags were a big hit, too. So many bright colors and great styles to choose from, and so affordable!

What did we serve? Famous White Wine Sangria fresh veggies, pastry cups with apricot chicken salad or tasty shrimp filling, and berries with crackers and four stunning cheeses. I like food to be easy to eat, so little bites are best.