The Story...
The Story…
Most days I’m asked …
a) if Isadora Popper is my shop?
b) where did the name Isadora Popper come from?
c) where do I find all of this “stuff”?
And then some days I’m asked…
d) how and why did you become a retailer?
e) how long have you been doing this?
f) where did you have other shops?
Many of you may not “know” my story and I thought this might be a good time to share it…or at least answer all of the above.
a) So, yes, Isadora Popper is my shop…my umpteenth shop…some with the same name with different locations and some not. To refer to me as a gypsy would be spot on…LOL!
b) The name Isadora Popper became a nickname for me or derivatives of it…Izzy, Popper, Isadora, etc. There was a historical plaque on the building next door in Thomasville …Isadora Popper, Wholesale Wine & Liquor (1886)…and the history on it, from what I understand, was that Isadora was actually Isadore with an “e” instead of an “a” and was a man, not a woman AND was a wine and cigar merchant! With all of that said, we, among a lot of other things, also sold wine…and I believe that’s how I essentially became Isadora Popper?
c) All of this “stuff” at Isadora Popper is a conglomeration of things that I love! I’ve never been one to follow the trends or purchase things because they’re “Hot” although I have caved to a few “Hot” items only to donate them or put them on sale as they weren’t true to me…LOL!
I do a lot of research and travel to trade shows to find these treasures. And, you may or may not know this, but MOST of the items I choose for IP is purchased because of the ethics or story behind the company I’m purchasing from.
d) I had absolutely no family or personal retail history. I was working for a drywall company only to have my boss piss me off one day and I decided then and there that I would never work for anyone again…I was 28ish then. Mailboxes Etc. were a thing then and I purchased a franchise but had to wait a bit until it was built so in the mean time I worked in a couple of other Mailboxes until mine was ready. It was in a Winn Dixie shopping center…opened in September 1990 and it was fun-ish for a couple of years. But, the best thing happened, they put another Mailboxes in my “territory” and I was able to “get out” of the franchise!!! Let’s put it this way, it was a good stepping stone into retail which is what I realized was what I really liked!
e) So with all of that said, if you do the math, I’ve been a retailer for 33 years (+/-)
f) And here you have it…the list of where I’ve been :)
- Mailboxes Etc. Coconut Creek, Florida
- A Diner (can’t remember the name) Coconut Creek, Florida
- Tidings to You, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Tidings to You, Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida
- Scrubbing Bubbles, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Baby Bubbles, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- LaLa, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Ink, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Roost, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Sara Benjamin, Pompano Beach, Florida
- Relish, Thomasville, Georgia
- Dash, Thomasville, Georgia
- Tia Dana, Fort Worth, Texas
- Tia Dana, Waynesville, North Carolina
- Tia Dana, Waynesville, North Carolina
- Tia Dana, Highlands, North Carolina
- Isadora Popper, Lakemont, Georgia
- Isadora Popper, Clayton, Georgia
On retail…
Often people will say that Isadora has things they’ve never seen. With all of that said, when it comes up in conversation and it does pretty often, I say I’m a rule breaker but the reality is that I’m not a rule breaker, I’m really just not a rule follower…at times, I’ll try the status quo but generally, it doesn’t sit well or feel good and then I go back to my gut and do what I believe is right for me.
In a conversation yesterday, I’m not sure what we were speaking about but I tell this story often, I had a very small shop in Fort Laudedrale…maybe 800sf? And I had a younger girl that would come in and spend 3+ hours in my shop of good smelly stuff. She would smell and try EVERY thing and I just loved watching the pleasure she got from it all and in turn, it gave me extraordinary pleasure too! I’ve realized that the best part of IP and all of my past shops for that matter, for me is the simple pleasure, excitement, laughter, etc. that the shop provides. Honestly, money and sales are the elephant in the room because of course, I need those to perpetuate what I do but if that weren’t part of the equation, it would be even more awesome!!
So on that note...time to walk the pups!