The latest Nube fashion (Image: United States Air Force)
There has been plenty of brain time burned on the future of local retail as online shopping changes the way we buy. But what if instead of shopping for things we can’t touch and feel, we shopped for things we could only touch and feel?
Don’t think too hard about it. Starting Halloween night, you can visit Capitol Hill’s Nube in the northeast corner of the Odd Fellows building at 10th and Pine for a special “Sense Up” pop-up shop where the goods are on display in a pitch black room:
The purpose of this pop-up shop is to bring customers out of their element and place them in a room where they’ll rely on their other senses besides sight. Staff armed with night vision goggles will guide visitors through the darkened retail environment creating a one of a kind shopping experience.
“This is a sensory shopping experience that asks what it means to shop in a local, brick and mortar retail store,” Nube owner Ruth True said in the announcement of the pop-up. “Where is the delta between convenience and quality? We want to start a dialogue and get people to think about what it means to shop locally and to question the alternative.”
Nube opened in the Odd Fellows building in late 2009 with a focus on “ecologically minded consumers” and American-made, sustainable products. We talked to True about the business here in 2010. The brand has made more of its USA-only element recently. Brands with products on, um, display during the pop-up include Woolrich, Dank Crystal, Woodsmen Candle Co., Wood & Faulk, Baleen, Prairie Underground, Peg &Awl, and Porcelain & Stone.
Dad jokes about not being able to see the price tags and other stores that might try a similar gimmick (Hello, Babeland) aside, the experiment should be fun to check out. You can stop through the store at 1527 10th Ave from October 31st through November 5th, 11 AM to 6 PM, to check it out. You can learn more at nubegreen.com.
Shopping as a postmodern art experience