Spring Haus is the brainchild of Sara Droz, whose pop-up boutique featuring hand-curated items (procured from her far flung travel adventures) offers an elevated shopping experience in the East End of Pittsburgh.
Sara Droz’s Spring Haus Pop-Up Shop Comes to Pittsburgh to Fill Up Your Home
Say it out loud: Haus, not House. Not a misspelling. Not a typo. But rather some fun word play using a European spelling of “house” conflated with a Pittsburgh pronunciation.
The event, which will take place April 11, 12, 18 and 19 in Point Breeze, features both locally designed and internationally sourced pieces. Droz transforms a mid-century house into the combination of a concept store and a design showroom. “It’s a more progressive way to shop,” she says. “I hope we can go beyond the standard brick and mortar store. It’s much more of an experience, and we need more experiential retail in Pittsburgh.”
Droz’s experiential marketing career, combined with a background in fashion, prepared her perfectly for bringing such innovative ideas to life. She ran pop-up events for brands such as Goop, promoted the Summer Olympics in Rio for Instagram and enjoyed great success selling accessories out of trucks in New York and Los Angeles.
Unique Name, Unique Finds
Spring Haus might be unlike anything else available in the region. The experience is meant to feel eclectic and fun — and definitely not run-of-the-mill. T-shirt designer Alex Gracik and floral designer Alex Halpern, plus Sprig Coffee, will be on-site. As a guest, you’ll meet Droz herself, who is eager to show you her latest finds; she likes to introduce “fresh, designer-driven” items. Look for unique clothing such as caftans from Greece or tailored basics from Denmark — or choose from a great selection of raffia handbags from Italy. Perhaps you should consider refreshing the look of a room with a new Moroccan rug?
Take a Dip, Whether Near or Far
Droz is the founder of Dip A Toe, a travel site offering travelogues, e-commerce and small group travel trips she’s calling Dip A Trips. She landed on the name after years of traveling for work — and learning to squeeze in short bursts of personal travel amid business. She became quite adept at maximum exploration within a minimum time frame, hence “dipping a toe” into a new place. Currently, the site advertises an 8-day tour of the North Atlantic Faroe Islands offered this July.
When asked what she loves most about her work, Droz replies, “Mostly, that it doesn’t feel like work. I love sourcing products, getting to know the people of a place, and understanding the texture of a place. I feel like [seeing different countries] makes you a better person in your day-to-day life — when you gain a global perspective.”
Beauty and Function in Fashion and Philosophy
Her style philosophy involves the belief that fashion should function in a beautiful way. Function is a key component of her personal style, and Droz adheres to the notion that “real style is not delicate and very useful.” She relishes beautiful, simple, well-made goods with a purpose.
Her personal aesthetic undoubtedly influences her shopping choices, and she has developed a carefully thought-out process for choosing items to feature on Dip A Toe’s site. “What is sold is dictated by place first and foremost. It’s important that I touch and feel the product, and I like to know the designers personally.”
Droz hosted a similar immersive retail experience, Holiday Haus, last December; that event was gift-focused to help guests shop for the holidays. Spring Haus is more self-focused, with fewer small giftable items and more personal items. Sara points out there are “more clothes, more handbags and these amazing Moroccan rugs, which I am most excited about. We’ve all been inside for months and it’s time to think about getting out and finding what makes us happy. Spring is the time where it’s really fun to shop.”
For more information, follow Dip a Toe on Instagram.
Story by Tina Tuminella
Featured Photo by Emily French
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