Keep An Eye Out For This Adorable Pop-up Shop In Stuart, Iowa

Every town has its own gems and local favorites - whether that’s a family owned ice cream shop with the best ice cream in a 100 mile radius, a lookout spot that lets you see for miles and miles, or a swimming hole in the local river that makes for a great little escape from reality. They’re places that are truly irreplaceable and unique. 

Well, Stuart Iowa is about to have a new gem added to that list. A local, women-owned home goods shop, Doe A Deer, will be gracing the town's main street with occasional pop-ups! With products that bring a hint of vintage and color to your home and kitchen, it’s the perfect place to find gifts for moms, daughters, sisters, grandmas; any special woman in your life really. You’ll find plenty of uniquely designed tea towels that range from seasonal to year-round styles, adorable mugs with great daily reminders, as well as brightly colored Swedish dishcloths and fun stationery items.

You started small at local craft shows, created your online shop, and used your vintage camper, Della, to attend shows and share your fun items. What led you to take this step in opening a space for pop-ups in Stuart, Iowa? 

Since Doe A Deer started back in 2016, we've been based out of our home. While that has been very convenient, in some respects it has also been very challenging. Thanks to our amazing customers, we've reached the point where we needed more space to house inventory and continue our growth. With this comes a separate space for our employees to work, creating some separation between home and business. 

Although we were hoping to pursue a different route by building ownership here in Stuart, we just haven’t come across the right opportunity yet. This has been frustrating and slightly overwhelming as we hope for a place to someday plant roots for this business. Our long-term goal is to have a storefront that is open regular hours, allowing us to serve our local community and attract customers from afar too! We'll get there someday!

At this time, I’ve decided to let go of some of my "needs" in finding the perfect building and reached a conclusion to rent our current space for 12 months. We decided that this was the best direction to go for our family this year. It's truly a great space for the time being, and it will allow us more time to figure out the next move for Doe A Deer. 

For now, our current space will be a place where we host occasional pop-ups, and most days, it will be utilized for inventory and shipping. Our next pop-up is scheduled for February 12-14 & we'll be celebrating Galentines day with some new designs and fun in-store specials! 

What void does this in-person shopping experience at Doe A Deer fill in Stuart and the surrounding area? 

There is a definite void for retail shopping in Stuart. We're a town of 1,700 people and growing, but overall the main street is filled with primarily service based businesses. Doe A Deer offers unique, hand-illustrated products that people can't find just anywhere while also offering gift items at a reasonable price point. I know that people are willing to drive a distance for a fun and unique shopping experience (myself included) and our goal is to provide just that for our customers! 

What should guests expect when they come through your door for a pop-up? 

We always want customers to encounter our products and feel uplifted and happier than when they came. We use bright colors and happy messages for that reason. We plan to have the same products in store that you can find online as well as a few surprises here and there from other small makers! 

What’s the most exciting part about having this new place to set up shop? 

I've always dreamed of having a storefront even since I was a little girl, but never did I imagine that the storefront would be made up of products that I illustrate and create myself. It's a total dream.

I believe there's just something special about shopping in person that will never be replaced with online, so I'm excited to have a space to host new and old customers and provide them with a unique shopping experience. I'm also super excited to have a space for my employees to come to work that is nice, organized & separate from my house :)

What’s your pop-up timeline? 

I hope we can do pop-ups every few months or so. We are expecting our baby in May, so that may make things a little trickier. We do plan to host a pop-up February 11-13, and more dates will be announced from there, so be sure to check back to our website or Instagram page every few weeks for updates on our next pop-up date!  

Where are you located? 

If you’re looking for an enjoyable retail experience in an adorable space, we look forward to meeting you at one of our pop-ups! We’re so excited to have a new place to call home for Doe A Deer, even if it is temporary. We can’t wait to have you pop-in and experience our amazing products in person! 

If you want to make sure that you don’t miss out on one of our future pop-ups, head to the bottom of our home page to sign up for our email list where you’ll stay in the know on product releases, sales, and upcoming events.