Hello everyone! I'm Holly's friend from Hamburg and my name is Stefanie. Holly reads my blog regularly and recently fell in love with a post I'd written about concerning a trend I've noticed with bloggers over in this part of the world lately. I write on my blog in German and so she proposed that I take a post from my blog, translate it, and write it for you over here on decor8 in English. Great idea, right? So here I am talking to you today about a trend that I think is pretty cool - Bloggers who become shop owners and sell products that they love. My former boss used to say, "If you have three examples of a movement – you have enough evidence for a new trend!”. Since I found FOUR bloggers who became shop owners I’m proud to present this new trend! Isn’t it a lovely concept? I would love to open my own shop immediately, wouldn’t you too? I would have an office within the shop and a cute kitchen – everything would be in the same style. I would offer the best coffee and cookies and chat with those who come to visit me and would give them more good shopping tips, addresses of fantastic restaurants, etc. During the time when the shop is slow, I would work on my blog and other projects. Ohhh, I could start with it this minute. But let’s see how some great lady bloggers did it first...

Case Study #1: Mary Scherpe is the very successful blogger behind “Stil in Berlin” and she opened her first pop-up-store for nine days in October in Berlin Mitte on Mulackstraße. She sold a few of her favorite brands like Michael Sonntag, Raphael Hauber and nail polish from Usula Airlines. She also had some great paper bags where she stamped her blog logo. (I would love to have these too!) The shop was such a success that Mary is considering trying another pop-up shop very soon. Keep your fingers crossed!

Case Study #2: Jewelery designer and fashion blogger, Alexa von Heyden, opened her permanent concept store, von hey, in Berlin a few weeks ago located at Brunnenstraße 158. She sells her own designs, but also the beautiful clutch collection of fashion designer James Castle, the denim pillows of designer Melanie Petersen, and one of my favorite designers for dresses – Liebig, along with other very interesting things. What makes this shop super special is that Alexa is such a lovely lady who is happy to give you tips for other shops, restaurants, etc. so please go and visit her soon! (Images via spruced.us)

Case Study #3: Hanne and Stephanie Gundlach opened their concept store B56 in Copenhagen this March located at Bregade 56. Stephanie is one of the three ladies who blog on Anywho - one of the most popular fashion blogs in Denmark. At B56 you will find a very good selection of the upcoming Scandinavian designers.

And Case Study #4 is: The interior stylist and blogger Lotta Agaton who opens her shop (which includes her office - now you see where I got this idea from) in Stockholm (Radmansgatan 7) only on Thursdays. Again, ONLY ON THURSDAYS. I was there on a Friday and she didn’t let me in. So if you don’t want to be so disappointed like I was, go there on a Thursday. Because as soon as you see all the lovely Scandinavian decor that she has in her shop – you will want it all, I promise!

So, do you wanna open your own shop now too? I would love to hear your ideas how you would do it. First, let me ask Holly because I know she has had a concept now since 2006 when she first started her blog and decided to relocate to Germany. She's wanted to have a shop since she was a child though - her first retail storefront was actually a day spa that she opened along with her mother in Swampscott, Massachusetts when she was only 16-years-old (working only part-time) but spas weren't her thing and she'd often peek around the corner hanging out in the flower and gift shop dreaming of owning her own pretty boutique that she'd like to have someday, too...

Steffi: Holly, what's your blogger-as-shop-owner concept?

Holly: I'd love to move my home studio to a storefront retail space in Hannover where I can keep teaching my workshops, write my books and blog but also open only on two Saturdays per month and when I'm open, I'd offer very special products from America, the UK, Australia, Japan and of course, Europe. I'd also invite some friends to create very special collections just for my shop and what I didn't sell in-store, I'd sell in a small and special online shop curated by me. I'd have a few buckets of fresh flowers but only very special ones. During my two open days per month, I'd offer brownies and cupcakes and other "American" goodies, put on inspiring music that I love or ask a friend to come by and play acoustic guitar, light candles and make everything feel very cozy and charming. When my shop is open, I'd have a reading corner for children and would read for them some of my favorite illustrated books in English to introduce them to books from America, the UK and Australia but also to expose them to English as most toddlers and very young children don't learn English until later on in school so it would be fun to show them "my" world because I find lots of people in my local community are really open to other cultures and parents here are really keen on raising bilingual or trilingual children. I would also do a themed shop window each month to inspire my local community. I'd host once monthly designer/blogger meet ups too on the first Friday of the month to gather together creatives living in Hannover. When the store is closed, I'd still be present in the shop shooting photos for my blog, working on book ideas and writing, blogging, teaching my online classes and of course, continuing my in-person workshops that I love to do so much. That's my concept! I already have a few shops in mind that I'm waiting for (hoping they become vacant) so we'll see what happens in the future. I'm patient!

Now readers, tell me about YOUR blogger shop ideas??? Have you opened a shop yourself? Been involved in a pop-up concept? - Steffi