Need Supply Co. to host first pop-up showroom in Charlottesville

Richmond-based retailer fills e-commerce orders across the U.S. and 72 other countries.

Published December 4, 2019 by Sydney Lake

Richmond-based e-commerce retailer Need Supply Co. will launch a pop-up showroom in Charlottesville for the holidays.

The 23-year-old fashion and home goods store is based in Richmond’s Carytown district and has a second shop in Tokyo, but most of its business is conducted online, filling e-commerce orders in the United States and 72 other countries. The showroom at membership-based Charlottesville social club Common House is the company’s first pop-up shop.

The Charlottesville pop-up shop will be open to the public from Sunday, Dec. 8 through Dec. 22, after a members-only preview event Saturday. Common House No. 1 is at 206 W. Market St. in Charlottesville, and its founders plan to open a second location in Richmond mid-2020.

“The first Need Supply Co. store opened in Richmond over two decades ago, and we’re very proud of our Virginia roots,” CEO Chris Bossola said in a statement. “The Common House in Charlottesville is the perfect fit for us because it’s a gathering place for a community that’s very interested in art, design and global culture.”

According to Inc. magazine, Need Supply earned $36.3 million in 2018, and the store joined forces in November 2018 with Totokaelo, another e-commerce fashion outlet, to form parent company NSTO, which is headquartered in Richmond with a second office in New York City.

Need Supply Co. carries independent and high-end designers’ clothing, shoes, accessories, beauty and grooming products and houseware lines, including Acne Studios, Canada Goose, Rachel Comey, Common Project, Veja and Aesop, as well as in-house fashion lines, which will be featured at the pop-up store.

Common House opened in Charlottesville in 2017 and was founded by Ben Pfinsgraff and Derek Seig, offering concerts, programs, work and meeting spaces, and other amenities for a monthly membership fee ranging from $50 to $150.

“The partnership with Need Supply Co. and our expansion into Richmond builds on our desire to unite around unique activities and programming, forge new relationships, and move our culture and community forward in a stimulating and well-curated environment,” Seig said in a statement.