Partners in crime

Tina Daem and Filip Van Langenhove run the trendy children's store Anna Pops together in Aalst. You will find custom-made children's shoes and a fine selection of children's clothing for toddlers from two years old to teenagers from sixteen years old.

Anna Pops was founded in 2012 from their own search for cool, fun children's shoes for their then two-year-old daughter. What started as a dream on 12m2 is today a store of 120m2 with associated webshop and its first employee.

Tina and Filip put together all children's shoes themselves in collaboration with workshops in Italy, Spain and Portugal, where all shoes are handmade with love for the craft.

How exactly did the Anna Pops concept come about?

Tina: “The idea mainly came about because I needed something different. I had already worked as an independent real estate agent, interior designer at a kitchen company and at that time had an administrative job at the City of Aalst. I needed a new challenge, but I didn't know exactly what yet.”

Filip: “Anna Pops was partly created out of pure necessity. Suddenly there was the magical moment when our first daughter Fauve took her first steps. But we found no high-quality shoes, nor substantiated advice about this. During a moment of peace, under the sun in Provence, the idea arose to formulate an answer to this.”

Tina: “Filip and I love brainstorming at restaurants, cafés, on holidays… I usually have my bullet journal at hand, because there is always something to write down when we are together.”

What is immediately noticeable when you visit the store or your webshop is the personal approach.

Tina: “We indeed want to surprise both online and offline. We call our items fashion finds because every child is unique. We continue this approach in our collections and the story of Anna Pops.”

Filip: “Patience is an important aspect and runs like a common thread through our concept. We invest a lot of time in the search for new fashion finds and the makers behind the creations.”

Tina: “When we purchase new collections or research new brands, I usually pick out those special pieces at a glance. But before we find them, it will indeed take quite a search.”

Filip: “We attach importance to personal advice both in the webshop and in the store. For us, the store is the absolute meeting place with our ambassadors. Here, space has literally been created for shelter. Coffee and a cookie stimulate personal contact and we get a lot of energy from this. The fleeting fades and makes way for depth.”

Tina: “Based on this approach, we put together collections for shoes, clothing and associated accessories. We are increasingly letting go of seasonal fashion as we know it and focusing on timeless sustainable pieces. After all, children grow quickly and it makes sense that the wardrobe is not a lost cause at the end of the season, but that you can genuinely give the clothes a new life when resold.”

Did you immediately take the big leap? Or did you build Anna Pops step by step?

Tina: “We started very small with our own shop in our house. In the beginning I combined Anna Pops with my job at Stad Aalst, today our store gets 100% of my attention. And I work on our story both in front of and behind the scenes.”

Filip: “I still work as an architect and researcher/lecturer at Odisee University of Applied Sciences, I am responsible for the management of our two holiday apartments together with Maarten and I help Tina with Anna Pops. I help out in the store, brainstorm about new ideas and help with making decisions, organizing events and (product) photography. I get my energy from this variety and the many personal contacts, which means I couldn't miss Anna Pops.”

Tina: “Filip is my source of support and the perfect critical sounding board for all my ideas. So also indispensable for Anna Pops.”

You work together from the start. Did this feel like a logical choice?

“Without our strong bond we would not be where we are today.

You must walk fully together in the same direction

can share your opinion without inhibition, otherwise it will quickly stop.” – Philip

The store is located at your home. Does that make the work-life combination easier?

Filip: “From the start, we consciously chose to integrate the store into our own home. As a result, life and work permanently merge. That of course has its pros and cons. We are very flexible if people want to come by appointment and at less busy times in the store we can do administrative work without losing time on commuting. On the other hand, sometimes we really need to escape our home to relax. Because you can always work. But that 'escape' takes us to inspiring places and so the circle is complete. Everything is constantly changing for us and we need that to keep the enthusiasm going.”

Tina: “When the children are with us, we both stop working anyway. And if they are not there, we continue to work. Although Filip can let go of work much easier than I can. I also want to do all kinds of things in the evening or talk about Anna Pops. Filip is often away during the day for his work as an architect and researcher/lecturer and then I want to inform him of my ideas in the evening, but he is not always in the mood for that.” (laughs)

Filip: “Tina really works non-stop on her passion. Even at bedtime, the glowing screen of her smartphone sometimes keeps me awake.” (laughs)

Tina: “Sorry! Much of it is indeed dedicated to our work. When we take a trip on Sunday, we go to a big city for inspiration and look at shop windows and layouts, products, etc. We also tailor our trips to our work. Actually, when I think about it now, there isn't much private left. But we love doing it.”

Tina: “That's not too bad. You easily say what you think because you know the other person very well. That gives me a good feeling and also ensures that things progress faster.”

Filip: “Depending on peak times, this – as in all collaborations – naturally runs more smoothly at one moment than at another. Neither of them are experts in the administrative and financial aspects of the company. We still do this ourselves - luckily we have a good accountant who supports us. But as soon as we are allowed to be creative, set up events or prepare a photo shoot, we are in our element. Tina has an incredible drive for innovation and I try to filter feasible initiatives from this waterfall of ideas. Together we refine these during a brainstorming session. Some ideas become concrete and others linger in the back of our minds.”

Tina: “I do about 80% of the tasks, but that has grown because Anna Pops was initially a project for me. We both believed in it, but had decided to see how everything would evolve. Today, Filip is mainly the back-up of the store, my sounding board who immediately understands me and thinks about our growth and the direction we want to go.”

Filip: “Tina is really the heart of Anna Pops. I'm more the head, the arms and the legs. While she focuses on the development of Anna Pops, I work with our colleague Judith on developing the story.”

How did your family and friends react to the news that you wanted to start your own business?

Tina: “They are used to us doing a lot together and didn't think it was strange.”

Filip: “Although they were politely skeptical. Neither Tina nor I come from an entrepreneurial family. But because of the small scale, our idea was tolerated.” (laughs)

Tina: “I think they are all proud of us.”

Filip: “Yes, they are all enthusiastic and help directly in putting out fires or indirectly by looking after Loïs and Fauve.”

Suppliers or customers probably won't be surprised (anymore) either?

Filip: “You should ask them that.” (laughs)

Tina: “I don't think they find this strange. Even Judith, our first employee, was familiar with this from the start. People often even see it as a good basis for a business.”

Filip: “Intuitively, they see us as a great match, I think. Without our strong bond we would not be where we are today. You have to move fully together in the same direction and be able to share your opinion without inhibition, otherwise it will quickly end.”