The streamlining effect of the Internet can be felt in every industry. This holds especially true for retail, where the allure of not paying for a lease or in-person sales staff has persuaded many new retailers to exist only in the digital world. One local online retailer is defying this trend by opening a pop-up shop, in hopes of taking his store from digital to physical.
Commonplace, a lifestyle goods retailer started by Milwaukee resident Zach Peterson, recently opened a pop-up shop in Bay View at 3074 S. Delaware Ave. The shop will be open until the end of June.
Peterson came to Milwaukee to attend school at UWM, where he graduated with a finance degree. While living in Milwaukee, he found an interest in product design and retail. He went on to work at a law firm after graduation, but the desire to get into the retail business lingered until he had to act on it.
Almost two years ago, Peterson launched Commonplace as an e-commerce website, with a plan to eventually move into a physical space.
“The online avenue was the easiest way to start, but I always had the intention of getting into a brick and mortar store,” Peterson says.
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Peterson currently works with small to medium sized brands from all over the country, and is beginning to design himself. He has collaborated in the design process on posters with a designer in California, and worked on a set of bronze bottle openers and coasters with designer Ryan Tretow.
Commonplace’s goal is to allow their customers to find items unavailable anywhere else. They stock many brands that Peterson has admired for years. He specifically names Topo Designs, Kiriko and Good Thing.
“Commonplace is a different retail experience,” says Peterson. “There’s a focus on high-quality goods instead of a mass amount of lower quality items.”
The lack of similar shops in Milwaukee is an advantage, Peterson says. Since high-end accessories and home goods can be hard to find in the area, he envisions Commonplace becoming the leader in the local market.
Another advantage is his shop’s aesthetic. The space is open and not at all crowded. Peterson describes it as refined, simple and clean. He says it’s important for his customers to feel like they are able to engage with the product.
“I think that when it comes to home goods it’s really important for people to be able to pick things up and get a feel for them before they buy it,” Peterson says.
The Bay View store is Commonplace’s second pop-up shop. The first was last summer in the Third Ward, in the space that currently houses Milworks.
“The shop in Bay View will have a very similar feel to the first pop-up,” Peterson says. “I’m hoping that the people in Bay View will have the same reaction that the people in the Third Ward did.”
The first pop-up was a learning experience, as it was the first time Peterson had interacted face-to-face with his customers. He was also able to see what people are into and explain the background of the products.
Commonplace will stay at their current location for three months, and then Peterson will have a choice to make about whether he wants to find somewhere to permanently set up shop or go back to retailing strictly on the web until another opportunity comes. He doesn’t want to rush into a situation that isn’t ideal for him, but he is eager to give Commonplace a physical home in the near future.
“Growing the brand in Milwaukee is a big thing,” Peterson says. “When you’re online it’s hard to get in front of a local audience. You can go to events and hand out cards, but having a place that people can come see allows people to see that there is good work being done locally.”
