Last week we attended our first market. It was another milestone in THE 5TH’s launch and we thought we would share with you a little more about it.
We have been following A South London Makers Market for a while, founded by twins Liv and Daisy, and instantly loved what they were doing to re-imagine the face of retail. With a focus on supporting small makers and promoting more sustainable shopping, we knew they would be a great fit for our first market. After the UK lockdown was lifted they held a Selfridges pop up, proving small sustainable businesses can have place on the main stage too.
Once we had our space confirmed at the market, we got busy making sure we had everything ready to deliver the best experience to our customers. The checklist seemed to get longer and longer and I think in true Hannah and George style we probably over prepared. We set up a mock stall in our studio and tried our best to become pro visual merchandisers. By the time market day came around we had done so much prep we were just eager to get there and meet everyone.
One downside of being an e-com brand is that we often don’t get to meet our customers in person, and beyond that, we miss out on watching our customers experience our fragrance.
The greatest thing about the market was being able to do both of those. We spoke to so many amazing people who wanted to learn more about us and our fragrance and took the time to hear our story, and we were able to share in their experience of DŪMBO from their first spray.
It was so interesting to witness first hand how subjective scent can be to each individual, with some commenting on the fresh or citrus opening of DŪMBO, whilst others would get more spice or warmth from the top notes. Many would also share with us the people or places that DŪMBO would transport them to.
We would encourage people to spray DŪMBO on their skin and then to continue shopping around the market, allowing them to explore how the scent develops over time. It was humbling to see so many people come back to us to report on their scent journey and want to purchase a bottle for themselves.
Our most poignant encounter however came from meeting a lovely lady named Rebecca. Not long after spraying DŪMBO we could see Rebecca’s eyes filling up. As she began to shed a tear, she explained that the scent was taking her back to a memory, a moment, a person, and that she was “lost in the fragrance”. Watching such a visceral experience of DŪMBO is a moment we won’t forget.
We are looking forward to spending more time at events like A South London Makers Market, and being able to meet our customers and share more in their experience with THE 5TH and our fragrances. It was an experience we won’t forget and we are grateful to people like Liv and Daisy who make events that bring like minded businesses and customers together, possible.
See you on THE 5TH,
H & G