Handsome Freaks: Stuck in LA, but online business continues through Depop

Amy Hesselworth talks to Handsome Freaks owner Ally Blackgrove about how the pandemic is affecting business

A few months back I was in my local bar; I’m quite friendly with the guys who work there and I got talking to one of them. It was about our mutual love for streetwear and vintage pieces. I was urged to get down to Handsome Freaks in Old Town, Margate. 

Prior to my visit I scoped out what stock they have to offer on their Depop and I was blown away. Given their stock is all handpicked in L.A, you can only imagine the rare vintage and streetwear they enable us to get our hands on. Handsome Freaks carry brands like Supreme, Stussy, Thrasher and even Tyler The Creator’s brand, Golf (thats just to name a few). 

Having had such a positive experience in store, I felt that I wanted to find out more. And so, I contacted owner Ally Blackgrove to hear how the business is coping in these strange times.

AH: How are you and the Handsome Freaks team doing during this uncertain time?

AB: I’ve been in LA since February and stuck here since the shut down because I don’t fancy my chances in an airport at the moment. I spend half of my year out here buying so I’m used to running the shop remotely. 

The biggest challenge I’m facing at the moment is sourcing stock since all the markets are closed. I’m having to be extremely resourceful, but I feel fortunate to be out here because if I was back in the UK I wouldn’t be able to source anything at all. At the moment I’m still managing to send stock back to Margate weekly for the shop manager to list on Depop. The manager (Cake) is able to work from home so it hasn’t affected her hours at all. She just gets to work in her pyjamas

Do you carry the same stock on Depop that you do in-store? 

Ordinarily we aim to do that, but a lot of the time stock doesn’t even get the chance to be listed on Depop because it’s brought in-store so quickly, so this is the first time online shoppers have had first pick. Usually we aim to list nine things a day, but some days we don’t have time to list anything if the shop is really busy. 

Huge congratulations on being verified as a top seller on Depop! What are your current favourite pieces over there? 

I handpick each item and I only pick things I like, which seems to be working. Since the shut-down, our online sales have soared. And its really cool to have a blue tick next to our logo on the app! My favourite pieces on Depop at the moment are: a 1980’s Stussy t-shirt; I love any of the old 80’s and 90’s skate stuff. I’m always a sucker for a vintage ‘D.A.R.E’ t-shirt, they age really nicely and black, white and red is my favourite colour palette. Some people seem to love the ‘In ’n’ Out’ t-shirts, too. 

How has transitioning over to online sales been? 

We’ve been casually selling online for about three years, but it always took a back seat to the in-store sales. But now it’s our sole source of sales and our only focus. It’s great that this shift in focus is working well. Nothing beats seeing happy customers face-to-face though, and our online sales aren’t anywhere close to our shop sales. But we’re just trying to do all we can. 

What safety measures do you have in place when shipping your orders? 

I’ve always personally washed everything that gets sent back to the store. Also, Cake is staying on top of sanitising the packaging station and she wears gloves during the whole process from packing to posting. With regards to the actual security of shipping, all our parcels are insured if anything goes wrong in this busy posting period. 

What advice do you have for fellow small businesses struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel? 

Everyone should do anything they can to adapt to the situation. I don’t understand how some businesses have just closed in the hope that the government bails them out, when there are definitely ways they could still be running in some capacity.

The businesses I really feel for are those who can’t sell online or offer a delivery service. Hairdressers, tattoo artists, gyms, nail techs etc. They’re the guys who we really need to support when this is all over. It’ll be such a shame if these businesses can’t recover. It’s great to see yoga studios doing online classes, restaurants becoming delivery only and shops pushing their online sales. We just have to work as hard as we can and just accept that at the moment we won’t be earning as much as usual. Independent businesses are all in the same boat and its very stressful for everyone. I think the worst thing is, no one knows when this will be over and nothing is certain about what things will look like in a few months or a year. But they have to remember, thinking outside the box and adapting is what makes small businesses. 

It’s been lovely talking to you! How are you preparing and which steps are to taking to come out of this stronger? 

I definitely won’t be taking Depop for granted. I’m so grateful for the support on there from customers and we definitely need it at the moment. We’ll just be continuing to push our online even when things get back closer to normal so we can be prepared if something like this were to happen again. 

Go check out Handsome Freaks on Depop: depop.com/handsomefreaks