The evolution of design – and how we shop for it – is constantly shifting to suit our social and logistical needs. Over the years we've seen traditional brick-and-mortar shops make room to offer online shopping; we've seen consumer demand create space for smaller, curated stores and markets that offer unique, local collections versus the monopoly of bigger box stores that used to dictate design; and we've also seen the rise of online-only shopping, not just for mainstream stores but also for artisanal boutiques (who hasn't lost countless hours scouring the fab finds of Etsy?!).
Now we are seeing a new shift – a marriage of online and market-style shopping that creates the most personal approach for buyers to date: design-on-the-go.
Satiating our desire for a hand-selected collection of chic global goods at the most reachable level, Ardillas United is pioneering design-on-the-go in Vancouver as a locally based online shop and (the best part) mobile boutique. The brains behind the beautiful finds, Kora Pridy and Karolina Jasinski, launched the boutique as an online shop in 2014 and quickly saw an opportunity to meet the unfulfilled market need for mobile shopping. This past summer, the girls jumped on a game-changing project (a 26-foot truck with no engine, affectionately named “Beastie”) that in five short weeks became a super style savvy boutique on wheels – a rare concept in Vancouver, although widely supported in other metropolitan cities.
Since her unveiling at this year's Khatsalano Festival, Beastie has become quite a personality of her own and tops the guest list for many of the hottest design related events and markets around Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. She's been spotted serving up a chic collection of eclectic accessories for both decor and fashion at Car Free Day, the Vintage Barn Market and, most recently, the Vancouver Home + Design Show. Her Holiday calendar is quickly filling up as well – if you haven't yet met her and the thoughtfully curated Ardillas United collection, you can catch them at the Lonsdale Quay Dec. 6 and 7, and at their pop-up shop outside West Elm's South Granville location Dec. 12 and 13. In the New Year, both Pridy and Jasinski hope to see Beastie as a party favourite, exploring the possibility of private shopping nights on-location.
From a design perspective I'm a big fan of the vision behind Beastie. When I shop for goods, I'm easily distracted by the decor of a store, which therefore makes a beautiful space for selling beautiful pieces innately important. The mobile boutique has adopted one of my most favourite aesthetics for a retail setting: airy, bright and minimalist, finished with industrial or vintage elements that create a sense of personality. Inspired by Scandinavian design and a gallery appeal, Jasinski and Pridy chose to makeover Beastie with warm woods, fresh whites, copper accents and a custom neon sign. The end result is a beautifully unexpected space on wheels, offering fabulous finds to Vancouverites on the go.
The girls behind the brand – and Beastie – personally curate the goods Ardillas United offers, keeping close creative control on what their collections include. Initiating from a love for travel and the inability to resist bringing treasures home with them, the company focuses on building both global and local relations with their artisans to ensure the integrity behind the business. On how they personally select each piece they carry, Pridy says, "We buy things to sell that we would want to buy. And we do, and that's a problem".
As a consumer, I love the business model of selling things you simply can't resist, not just pieces you think will sell.
