Pop-ups don't usually fail on the day. They fail three weeks earlier, when nobody confirmed what the booth fee covered, the signage was ordered too late, or the assortment was packed the night before from whatever was closest to the door. The event itself just reveals the planning.

I'm Carina Hatton — boutique owner since 2013, ecommerce coach since 2019. This is the operational checklist, not another list of booth themes. If you're still choosing a format, start with the 25 boutique pop-up shop ideas guide, then come back here to execute.

Two things to settle before week four

First, decide whether the event is financially worth doing. Booth fee, travel, staff hours and supplies all come out of the day's margin, and plenty of events sell respectably and still lose money. The Pop-Up Profit Calculator tells you what this one has to sell to cover itself.

Second, decide how much to bring. That's its own calculation — sales goal, average order value, units per transaction, capacity — and it's worked through step by step in how much inventory you need for a boutique pop-up.

Interactive checklist

The Four-Week Pop-Up Checklist

Tick items as you finish them. Your progress is stored in this browser only — no login, no email, and nothing you check is sent anywhere.

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Four weeks before

0/10 done

Decide whether the event is worth doing, and lock the commitments that have lead times.

Three weeks before

0/10 done

Turn the strategy into a specific assortment and a booth that can hold it.

Two weeks before

0/10 done

Inventory in hand, promotion live.

One week before

0/10 done

Count, pack, rehearse.

Forty-eight hours before

0/8 done

Last verification pass — no new decisions.

Event morning

0/8 done

During the event

0/7 done

After the event

0/8 done

Permit, sales-tax and insurance requirements vary by state, city and organizer. Verify the current rules for your event with the organizer and the appropriate authority — this checklist is not legal or tax advice.

A note on permits, tax and insurance

Requirements differ by state, city, venue and organizer, and they change. Some markets require a temporary vendor permit; some require proof of liability insurance naming the venue; sales-tax collection rules depend on where you're selling. Ask the organizer what they require in writing, then verify the current rules with the appropriate authority yourself. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.

Turn the event into data

The last section of the checklist is the one most owners skip, and it's the one that makes the next event better. Ending counts, reconciled sales, sell-through by category and a written list of what shoppers asked for are worth more than the photos.

Once you have the numbers, the Sell-Through & Reorder Calculator tells you which styles earned their space in the booth, and the Boutique Inventory Buy Planner helps size the next order without overbuying.

If you'd rather not plan events alone

Everything above is free and yours to use. If you want ongoing help implementing it — monthly coaching calls, a training library and a community of boutique owners working through the same problems — ECom Academy is $297/month and you can cancel anytime.

— Carina