LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles is well known as a hub of car culture, and luggage brand BÉIS recently seized on that natural affinity to draw fans out to a car wash-style consumer activation that played to nostalgia, whimsy, and just plain fun.
Taking over a high-traffic, 1,940-square-foot storefront on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood during the last weekend in February, the BÉIS Wash aimed to promote the LA-based luggage brand from founder Shay Mitchell, as well as offer a luggage-cleaning activation right on site. Heading up the event was the brand’s senior vice president of brand and creative, Liz Money, working with ongoing collaborator MKG (it’s the third brand pop-up this team has executed together).
To drive home the squeaky-clean theme, BÉIS partnered with Scrub Daddy, which set up a branded sponge photo wall.Photo: Flannery Underwood
The immersive activation borrowed all sorts of classic and nostalgic car wash references—starting with staffers flipping attention-grabbing signs on the sidewalk outside, alongside branded versions of those eye-catching inflatable tube people.
Inside the store, guests could leave their worn luggage at a service area, where it would run through wash, scrub, and drying stations. Meanwhile—just for fun—guests themselves could walk through a whimsical (and waterless) version of a car wash, made from colorful foam and vinyl pieces. It was a social media gold mine.
While waiting for their luggage, visitors could browse the collection (including upcoming styles for kids) and shop on site for delivery later—a rare opportunity for customers of the direct-to-consumer brand that typically sells its wares online.
With their baggage cleaning purchase, visitors could choose a gift comprising merch and other fun products that nod to an old-school car wash.Photo: Flannery Underwood
To drive home the squeaky-clean theme, the brand partnered with Scrub Daddy, which set up a branded sponge photo wall and luggage-shaped sponges throughout the space.
Tons of other on-theme details rounded out the experience, including a gumball machine dispensing special prize-eligible balls for winners; a kid zone with coloring pages and a sensory bin (to keep littles occupied while parents shopped); and a coffee station offering hot and cold refreshments from Chamberlain Coffee (featuring those old familiar coffee carafes seen at car washes everywhere). Guests left the event with a car freshener shaped like BÉIS luggage.
“We outfitted the site in the style of a car wash as a reminder that everything could use a seasonal refresh, even your luggage," MKG director of production Mili Marcetic told BizBash. "Not everyone knows they need to clean their luggage, but everyone knows they need to get their car washed—especially in Los Angeles. The car wash theme was a fun way to demonstrate how your BÉIS travel gear, like your car, really benefits from an inside-and-out spring cleaning or even a replacement. And like a car wash, we made it an activity the whole family could appreciate.”
While waiting for their luggage, visitors could browse the collection (including upcoming styles for kids) and shop on site for delivery later.Photo: Flannery Underwood
After the weekendlong event, Money said the event was a huge hit with customers—which makes sense since the theme drew inspiration from customer feedback.
“We wanted to take a playful spin on the request for cleaning tips and really provide a service to the people who give so much to our brand, while also underlining that our products are designed to be used over and over again,” she said. “We had lines around the block, which definitely tells us that this is something our community is interested in. We’re always looking for new ways to connect with our consumers beyond a purchase, so we’re so glad this was a hit.”
The BÉIS Wash follows previous inventive brand pop-ups, including the La La Land Cafe takeover in LA; the Shopify x BÉIS holiday pop-up in New York City; and the BÉIS Hotel in LA, Dallas, and Vancouver.
Founder Mitchell noted in a statement that the brand relishes its live events with consumers and the “chance to surprise and delight them with in-person experiences.”
Keep scrolling to see key vendors and more photos from inside the BÉIS Wash...
VENDORS
Fabrication: Pink Sparrow
Furnishings: Rove Concepts
Graphics: Atwater
PR: Element Brand Group
Production: MKG
The immersive activation borrowed all sorts of classic and nostalgic car wash references—starting with staffers (including BÉIS founder Shay Mitchell!) flipping attention-grabbing signs.Photo: Flannery Underwood
Nostalgic touches also included an eye-catching, branded inflatable tube person.Photo: Flannery Underwood
Guests could walk through a whimsical (and waterless) version of a car wash, made from colorful foam and vinyl pieces.Photo: Flannery Underwood
"Like a car wash, we made it an activity the whole family could appreciate," MKG director of production Mili Marcetic told BizBash.Photo: Flannery Underwood
