From the very beginning, we have always wanted to have a storefront. And nearly every family member, friend and mentor we have discussed this prospect with has told us we were insane for wanting to do so. Sure, their concern (for the most part) comes from a good place.
However, not once did anyone ever ask us our plan for retail; they just assumed they knew the consequences and that certainly, we would fail.
Jen and I have been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit and have always tried
to incorporate our journeys into KLADO. One of favorite things to do in any city
we travel to is walk. We walk for miles, usually with the goal of eating along the
way. Some of our favorite stops, particularly in European cities are little, tiny
kiosks, where you can grab a quick bite or something to drink. Whether it’s a
waffle stand in Antwerp or a wine bar in Lisbon, we have always been inspired by
those retailers, hustling and leaving a very small footprint.
So when it came time to start looking for commercial space (against everyone’s
recommendations), we knew we want to go small. We continued the search and looked at everything. We knew that holding to our ideals for KLADO and our vision of a new retail model could ultimately set the tone, not just for us, but also future entrepreneurs.
We have been fortunate to have found our micro-retail space. It’s 50 square feet
of pure brigadeiro joy. Perfect for our vision of a grab and go style, we have
always envisioned for KLADO. This is a vision we have always had that is now
coming to fruition. Scalable, able to transfer to future markets and manageable,
both in size and cost. We have always had this vision and are lucky enough to be
living it. The future is in micro-retail and we’re living proof. As Jen loves to say, “if
it can fit an ATM, it can fit a KLADO!”