Brick and Mortar Mercantile owner Ben Wegdam recently opened a location in Carytown, the fourth for the brand. (Courtesy of Brick and Mortar Mercantile)
A gift shop that aims to enliven the brick-and-mortar retail experience has opened its doors in Carytown.
Brick and Mortar Mercantile launched last week in the former Carytown Goodwill store at 3114 W. Cary St.
The store is the latest Carytown venture by Ben and Tara Wegdam, the married couple behind the Zest Clothing & Co., Lou Lou Boutiques and Crème de la Crème stores in the same neighborhood.
The Carytown Brick and Mortar is the brand’s first location in Richmond. The Wegdams also have Brick and Mortar stores in Middleburg and Leesburg, and in Frederick, Maryland.
The brand launched several years ago as a bid to reverse falling foot traffic at the Wegdams’ other stores with an emphasis on an engaging store experience and “edgy” product offerings, Ben Wegdam said.
“We saw that traffic in general was down, and there were a couple reasons for that. But probably the main reason is everyone is shopping at Amazon,” he said. “We came up with a concept that’s all about entertainment. Not that I want to be a restaurant or a bar, but people need to be entertained when they come here because entertainment is something they can’t get online.”
The Carytown store features a piano that customers can play and a birdcage with live birds as ways to capture the attention of customers.
“The whole idea is to bring people in. And once they’re in, they have fun,” Wegdam said. “Obviously, we hope they buy something. But even if they don’t, we hope they have a good time.”
Brick and Mortar carries a wide variety of clothing, books, toiletries, novelties and other items. Brands on the stores’ shelves include names like hat company Stetson and outdoor clothing company Filson, as well as brands like shoe company Blundstone, soap company Dr. Squatch and clothing brand Upstate Stock.
While Brick and Mortar is primarily a store-bound concept, it does operate a limited online store. It signed a lease on the 5,000-square-foot space late last year.
The parent company of Brick and Mortar is West Federal Retail, which the Wegdams own. In addition to the four Brick and Mortar locations, the company operates more than a dozen Lou Lou locations, three Creme de la Cremes and three Zests. West Federal is based in Middleburg.
Other new retailers that have recently opened in Carytown include collectible toy store Toy Lair and bag company Lineage.
Brick and Mortar Mercantile owner Ben Wegdam recently opened a location in Carytown, the fourth for the brand. (Courtesy of Brick and Mortar Mercantile)
A gift shop that aims to enliven the brick-and-mortar retail experience has opened its doors in Carytown.
Brick and Mortar Mercantile launched last week in the former Carytown Goodwill store at 3114 W. Cary St.
The store is the latest Carytown venture by Ben and Tara Wegdam, the married couple behind the Zest Clothing & Co., Lou Lou Boutiques and Crème de la Crème stores in the same neighborhood.
The Carytown Brick and Mortar is the brand’s first location in Richmond. The Wegdams also have Brick and Mortar stores in Middleburg and Leesburg, and in Frederick, Maryland.
The brand launched several years ago as a bid to reverse falling foot traffic at the Wegdams’ other stores with an emphasis on an engaging store experience and “edgy” product offerings, Ben Wegdam said.
“We saw that traffic in general was down, and there were a couple reasons for that. But probably the main reason is everyone is shopping at Amazon,” he said. “We came up with a concept that’s all about entertainment. Not that I want to be a restaurant or a bar, but people need to be entertained when they come here because entertainment is something they can’t get online.”
The Carytown store features a piano that customers can play and a birdcage with live birds as ways to capture the attention of customers.
“The whole idea is to bring people in. And once they’re in, they have fun,” Wegdam said. “Obviously, we hope they buy something. But even if they don’t, we hope they have a good time.”
Brick and Mortar carries a wide variety of clothing, books, toiletries, novelties and other items. Brands on the stores’ shelves include names like hat company Stetson and outdoor clothing company Filson, as well as brands like shoe company Blundstone, soap company Dr. Squatch and clothing brand Upstate Stock.
While Brick and Mortar is primarily a store-bound concept, it does operate a limited online store. It signed a lease on the 5,000-square-foot space late last year.
The parent company of Brick and Mortar is West Federal Retail, which the Wegdams own. In addition to the four Brick and Mortar locations, the company operates more than a dozen Lou Lou locations, three Creme de la Cremes and three Zests. West Federal is based in Middleburg.
Other new retailers that have recently opened in Carytown include collectible toy store Toy Lair and bag company Lineage.
Fun in retail? That’s crazy! I plan to check it out this week!
So there is no mention of the fact that a store previously located in Carytown, featured on Bizsense almost 2 years ago to the day, had the exact same name?
https://richmondbizsense.com/2020/03/23/carytown-clothier-seeks-buyer-after-outbreak-wipes-out-foot-traffic/
So these folks featured here operated a different store(s) in Carytown at the time the other Brick and Mortar was open, basically across the street from them, then coincidentally opened a store with the same name in another town? Seems a bit strange. What if Buzz opened a ZZQ in Winchester? There would probably be a few folks upset about it.
There has been a Brick & Mortar in Leesburg since 2019. This is just another location, the 4th in fact. Let’s just say neither is a very clever name for a retail store.