Depop opens physical store that teaches community how to sell

Depop has opened a physical outpost in NYC that aims to strengthen its connection to the community by offering advice on how to sell.The store features a photo studio where sellers, or the marketplace app’s trained professionals, can photograph their items against clean backgrounds, as well as receive hands-on advice on how to brand an online store and how to navigate the postal system.

“The whole purpose of the space is to strengthen our connection with our community, and to experience Depop in real life,” said Maria Raga, Depop’s CEO, to i-D magazine. “Different styles, different subcultures, and introducing different designers in a new light is really important to us.

It’s fun for our community too because they get to be inspired by the possibilities of what they can do with their Depop shops.”To reinforce that purpose, the store is not fully stocked, but rather currently carrying a curated selection dedicated to NYC called Depop Loves New York.At the moment, shoppers can find items by the likes of seller Venus X, who recently closed a vintage store in the city, and Luke Fracher, who provides a selection of rare shirts from local sports teams like the Yankees and the Mets, by Fracher. Meanwhile NYC-based designer Sandy Liang reworked vintage pieces, while Queens-based artist Slumpy Kev painted on vintage Levi’s and Dickies garments.

“Our community is just a little sponge of very thirsty entrepreneurs, and creative entrepreneurs at that,” continues Raga. “I think it’s just getting that first taste of what it is to make your own wealth, while having fun and creating your own brand.”

This is Depop’s second physical outpost, with the first one opening in Los Angeles in March. The store holds a similar purpose to its newest iteration, and is also inviting top users to host their own pop-ups within the space.

Depop’s foray into brick-and-mortar, as well as its core purpose of giving its community the tools and exposure to succeed, serve to further emphasise how brands can enable the young shopper’s behaviour of having a ‘side hustle’, and increasingly seeing themselves as entrepreneurs.

Stores with little merchandise but a loud message are also an effective marketing strategy for making use of physical spaces that don’t need to sell, but act as gateways to online experiences. Last year, Nordstrom launched its Local concept tapping into service and convenience over merchandise per square foot.