Here’s the scoop: Floyd puts a new twist on a tiny furniture pop-up
DETROIT — Direct-to-consumer furniture brand Floyd provided shoppers in Detroit with the self-described “world’s smallest furniture store — probably” during a four-day pop-up in a local ice cream stand.
“In a world of mega-stores, we thought it would be fun to do something as small as humanly possible,” explained Kyle Hoff, co-founder of Floyd. “We were able to lean into our products and systems to emphasize their modular nature and kit of parts, as most furniture companies couldn’t sell their bed through an ice cream shop window.”
Floyd set up its pop-up at Huddle Soft Serve, a tiny walk-up window shop in downtown Detroit that offers soft-serve frozen custard in season.
“We’re friends with the folks at Huddle Soft Serve as they started in Detroit around the same time, so we asked if we could do a pop-up while they were closed for the winter,” Hoff said.
On offer during the event that ran from Dec. 4-7 were selected pieces from Floyd’s line-up of modular furniture: Its original Floyd Leg, a clamp-style leg that converts any flat surface to a table; the Acton Slat Bench; the Side Table, which comes in various top and leg colors so buyers to put their own twist on the design; and the Original Bed Frame.
Floyd also sold branded merchandise, including logo hats and sweatshirts. Samples of the bench and table were outside for passersby to check out.
A sign next to the shop, where the ice cream flavors and toppings are usually listed, instead provided the prices and options for the furniture on sale. Prices ranged from $143 for the Floyd Leg to $1,910 for the bed frame. Shoppers could choose from blue, green, orange, birch or walnut tops and blue, green, orange, black or white legs for the $235 table.
Despite daytime temperatures in the 20s and 30s, Hoff said “traffic was great, and if smiles were a metric in the furniture industry, the pop-up would be off the charts. We had folks who knew the brand that came out specifically for it and folks who were just discovering it. We had one guy buy two side tables that he flew home with to New Jersey.”
Floyd had “a good amount of sales through the window,” he said, “but we also sent a lot of folks around the block to GW Home to check out our full line.” GW Home, which is part of the Gardner White chain and features Floyd’s line at its downtown store and a few other locations, had a team ready to greet shoppers “with a reprieve from the Michigan winter weather,” he noted.
Asked if Floyd planned to do this pop-up again, Hoff said, “We’re going to continue to do creative concepts in 2026 in our key markets. We want the retail experience of furniture to be more fun and inspiring, so keep an eye out for more.”
