THE FRIEND ZONE
Want your stuff in House of Local? So do we!
THE SPACE Located in the heart of East Kildonan at 680 Watt Street, House of Local is a hub for all things Manitoba. In addition to We Heart Winnipeg’s flagship clothing store and over 2,000 sq ft of retail space dedicated to local businesses, HoL is home to a custom print studio, the Voxx Vintage thrift store, a Ukrainian gift shop, and a cozy in-house coffee shop. The Friend Zone is a portion of We Heart Winnipeg’s retail space dedicated to showcasing the best brands this province has to offer while giving our customers a unique and unforgettable shopping experience.
THE VISION In short, we want HoL to become WPG’s premier “shop small” destination for locals and tourists alike. The reason pop- up markets have become such a popular disruptor in the retail industry is the massive selection of varying products, the experience of gifting that one-of-a-kind product, the joy of discovering a new maker, and the inherent pride in supporting one's local community. House of Local offers all of those things under one roof, in a permanent space with regular hours. And unlike pop-up markets, things like weather, competing events, etc., will not disrupt our overall business. In addition to giving our makers a space to build their brands and our customers a space to support local, we pride ourselves on offering a great customer experience using the same values we‘ve built our own brand around: quality over quantity, purpose over products, connections over transactions, and the overall goal of building community. Our approach with every customer is to give them another reason to come back.
THE MODEL Having experience with countless arrangements in the past - both as a vendor and as a retailer - the most important thing for us is allowing you to keep 100% of your sales. By implementing a collective membership model, we can do that. Sharing a physical location and an online marketplace (houseoflocal.shop) among multiple brands helps us to leverage staffing, content creation, digital marketing and order fulfillment - all while collectively reaching a greater audience and saving valuable time and resources. Instead of competing with one another, we will build each other up and grow together.
THE PERKS In addition to getting your products on our shelves and the mutual benefits of a collaborative retail environment, our membership program offers:
E-COMMERCE All of your products will also be listed and available for purchase (by Brand and by Category) at houseoflocal.shop;
STORAGE & STOCKING Our excess space allows us to keep unlimited inventory on-hand, saving you time and trips to the shop;
FULFILLMENT In addition to in-store sales, our staff will pick, pack and deliver all online orders through houseoflocal.shop;
CONTENT CREATION By pooling your membership fees, we have staff dedicated to help with photography, videography, social media and marketing. As our roster of makers increases, so too will our investment.
REGULAR REPORTS & PAYOUTS You will receive a sales report and payout (100% of your sales) the first week of every month;
ROOM TO GROW In addition to the Friend Zone, House of Local has a handful of micro units ranging from 100-150 sq ft (currently waitlist only) and occasionally hosts pop-up markets and other events that we’d love you to be a part of!
THE RATES In the spirit of keeping things simple, we have a flat rate fee of $5 per day with 50-day terms. In addition to the above-mentioned perks, your fee includes all of those pesky day-today costs that come with brick-and-mortar retail (electricity, internet, staff, marketing, etc). We’re also big on loyalty, so you’ll always have first dibs to renew your space and your rate will never go up.
CONTACT US At House of Local, you‘re not just another number. You‘ll be considered family and work directly with Ryan and Raya. Reach out at houseoflocal@weheartwinnipeg.ca to get in touch :)