(Image: Moop Shop)
By Jadenne Radoc Cabahug, CHS reporting intern
Suzette by Moop Shop found a new home on Capitol Hill on 11th Ave for a production space with a tiny storefront. Along with the new energy from the relocation and full commitment to Seattle from its Pittsburgh origins, Moop Shop and owner Wendy Downs are looking to expand beyond selling bags.
In 2019, Moop opened a popup shop on Chophouse Row as a beta test to see how they’d like it in Seattle. The 15-year-old company has now chosen a full move from Pittsburgh for family reasons as well as the energy and vibes of Capitol Hill.
“We loved the neighborhood, people’s interactions, and space, all those things,” Downs said.
After the popup shop, Downs said they were planning to move to Seattle, but the pandemic put a halt to the big move.
Suzette is now located in a second floor suite above 11th Ave and up the staircase where customers will find a tiny storefront where they can shop for weather resistant backpacks, crossbody bags, tote and clutches. The shop also carries other bag brands, notebooks, water thermoses, skincare, toiletries, travel needs, and others. In the back of the store, customers will get a behind the scenes look at the design and production process with the industrial sewing machines, fabrics and tools used to make Moop’s items.
The design studio in the Suzette shop is named after Downs’ grandmother and the production space in the back is where Downs and an assistant work on design, prototyping and small batch production space. The main manufacturing for all other Moop Shop goods happens in SoDo.
Moop’s new space is located near places like Vermillion and Cafe Racer which bring a certain vibe and energy on the street, which Downs said Suzette and Moop are happy to be part of.
“We feel really excited to be part of a cluster of really deeply invested businesses and the community,” Downs said.
Moop’s search for a new space took around two years, dealing with things like a lead mitigation project to the difficulties of finding commercial spaces around the city.
“I knew I wanted to be in Capitol Hill. I also know that our operation is in part a storefront and in part a studio production space. And so we were looking for something that could kind of accommodate all of those things,” Downs said.
Downs said this is how her Pittsburgh location operated and she wanted to keep this aspect to allow customers to see the process for themselves. Downs and an assistant work at the production studio in the Capitol Hill location, but their main manufacturing happens in Sodo.
“One of the things that really interested me in that process is the interaction from the customer base when you come in and you see the thing that’s being made right in front of you being made,” Downs said. “And I wanted to recreate some portion of that here in Seattle.”
Suzette by Moop Shop is open from Wednesday to Friday 11 AM to 6 PM and working hours in the production studio are from Monday to Friday 9 AM to 6 PM so online customers can come in person to pick up orders or shop while checking out the production process.
You’ll find Suzette and Moop upstairs at 1506 11th Ave. Learn more at moopshop.com.
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