Photo taken by Deborah Brown on November 5, 2019.
Anna-Catherine Kueng ~ Assistant Editor
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., there will be an L.L. Bean Pop-Up Shop located on the Hundley Terrace (back of Hundley and Drysdale).
According to an email sent to Hornets, “We are coming to your campus! Cram for all your Fall semester needs at our one-stop shop featuring classic L.L. Bean products including our iconic Bean Boots in new styles and colors. Exclusive 20% discount. Chance to win FREE L.L. Bean gear. Play games and win prizes!”
This is the first time the L.L. Bean Pop-Up Shop will be on campus. Experiential Marketing Specialist, Lindsey Brooks, said, “This is the first time the Bootmobile has rolled into the University of Lynchburg and we are incredibly excited to visit the campus with our L.L.Bean store on-wheels! Now in its 11th week, the L.L.Bean Fall College Tour has brought our larger-than-life Bean Boot-on-wheels to campuses across New England, Pennsylvania, New York, and now Virginia, with several more weeks still to go! As the weather turns chillier in the South, we aim to bring the joy of the outdoors to campus with all the best ways to stay cozy in the winter semester.”
Brooks explained the benefits of a pop-up shop compared to visiting a store or shopping online. She said, “One outstanding benefit of a pop-up store is to provide for the needs of the students who may not otherwise have the means to travel to a brick-and-mortar store to try on new clothes. Even more notably, we have had the opportunity to meet many international students on our tour, plenty of whom have never seen snow! While there are many different brands providing a mobile store experience, each filling a different student need, our L.L.Bean Pop-Up brings layering apparel, waterproof Bean Boots, and incredibly warm winter jackets right to the student’s hands.”
Annabelle Nagy, a second-year student, said she is interested in visiting the Pop-Up Shop. She said, “L.L. Bean makes quality products that last a long time and are able to keep you warm in the cold. When I used to work at a farm in the winter, I always wore L.L. Bean apparel that I had because I knew that it would keep me warm and not freeze. I love their products and whenever I need new winter clothes, [I would] always go to their website.”
About the items that will be available, Brooks said, “The L.L.Bean Pop-Up Shop is bringing along all our favorite new gear and apparel, including our famous Bean Boots, Sweater Fleece, and Scotch Plaid Flannels. While our footprint is not quite as expansive as a traditional L.L.Bean store, we are beyond thrilled to bring our best and brightest product to be touched, tried on, and taken home right on-site, especially for students who may be participating in their first L.L.Bean experience. We want to show our Pop-Up visitors exactly what we are made of.”
Nagy added, “I have never been to any pop-up shops on campus, but I do like seeing products in person, so I think I would like a pop-up shop.”
As mentioned in the Info Hornet email, there will be games and prize giveaways throughout the day. Brooks added, “Several times during the Pop-Up Shop’s day on campus, one of the Bootmobile Sole-Mates will hop on the microphone for L.L.Bean trivia, giving away hats, keychains, and more! We certainly encourage students to brush up on their L.L.Bean and Bootmobile histories. You never know what we might ask! There might be some prizes hidden on and around the Bootmobile, too. Keep an eye on @bootmobile on Instagram for hints and updates on found prizes!”
Brooks is expecting that many Hornets will come out to support the L.L. Bean Pop-Up Shop. She said, “Our location in front of the Drysdale Student Center is a prime spot to meet up with a large majority of U of L students and we certainly anticipate that we are in the center of campus life! On the day of our event, word-of-mouth marketing on campus and our Bootmobile appearing on students’ Instagram stories will be an effective tool to communicate our pop-up shop visit to the university.”
“Whether [students] are long-time customers of L.L.Bean or brand new to us, we want to share the joy of the outdoors with [them] and provide the apparel and gear they need for just that,” said Brooks.