One in an occasional series of features on Charlotte area businesses, nonprofits, and events, and how they are adapting to the “new normal.”
Our Subject: Esther & Elsa is a consulting company for non-traditional spaces. The company focuses on pop-up and open-air markets, event retail, marketing for a few non-profits, and one-on-one retail consulting.
What’s been impacted: Esther & Elsa usually runs 2-3 markets per month and 3-4 festivals a year, which they can’t do during the stay-at-home order. For instance, their Front Porch Sundays in South End were supposed to start in April, but are now looking at a June start, at the earliest.
“A massive part of our business revenue is cut off,” said Jordan Dollard, founder of Esther & Elsa. “The markets were a solid cash flow and it just stopped.” Their last month of revenue was in April because of pre-payments, but right now it looks like they’ve lost 18% of their annual revenue – equal to an entire employee salary.
Innovative pivot: Like a lot of businesses, Dollard has turned to consulting with retail clients via video. She says that while retail is at a standstill, it’s been a good time for her clients to step back, reassess, and rebrand.
Dollard also reached out to regular vendors to put together a “Market in a Box.” The box includes items that would have been in front of customers at markets, but is now delivered to them right at their doorsteps.
“When everything happened I saw opportunity with online sales, I saw that was the only channel to be in right now.”
She bought the products for Market in a Box at wholesale prices from about 20 vendors who needed immediate cash flow. In addition to buying the products outright, Dollard also used the opportunity to promote local brands on her platforms.
Reactions: Vendors and customers are both reaping the benefits of Market in a Box. Dollard said she’s moving into the fourth round of reorders now! She sees a lot of people buying the Market in a Box as a gift to send others out of state, and also sees customers coming in from all over the country.
The profits aren’t the same as in the markets, but “it’s definitely worth the effort,” she said.
“It is revenue, it is income, and it’s also keeping us busy,” added Dollard. “It’s putting money into the local economy.” It also allows her to pay her employees, which is a big plus right now.
Forecast for the future: Dollard likes Market in a Box, but looks forward to retail getting rolling again.
“Having an e-commerce platform for Front Porch Sundays has always been in the plan,” said Dollard. “This has forced us to move into the e-commerce space a little quicker than we had planned. We don’t know how much of this will resonate when we’re back in order and can shop again in public. We’ll play it by ear.”
Right now Dollard is planning for the gap between when people can go out shopping, and when open-air and pop-up markets are allowed to operate again. She knows sales of Market in a Box will probably wind down before markets are up and rolling. She’s focused on extending her on-line reach, while reworking what markets will look like.
“We have to figure out what Front Porch Sundays will look like in June, and July, and further out.”
Learn more or buy a box at: https://shopfrontporchsundays.com/