Growing a business in e-commerce isn’t just about having a good product or a strong brand. It depends on managing logistics effectively, responding quickly to customer demand, and finding partners who help you grow.
The right partners won’t tie you down with options you can't afford. Instead, they give you flexibility to expand without risking too much. The key is striking a balance between growth and making informed choices, while fostering good relationships.
This is the story of how Polish Pops, a Charleston-based nail wrap startup. They went from packing boxes in their living room to fulfilling nationwide orders from a professionally set-up warehouse.
Polish Pops started like many great businesses do—by solving a personal pain point. Monique, the brand’s founder, was dispirited with the cost and damage of traditional manicures. She wanted something easier, healthier, and more affordable. That vision led to the creation of a salon-quality gel nail wrap that applied like a sticker and lasted for days.
What began as a weekend project quickly turned into something much bigger. With her husband Paolo by her side, Monique launched the brand from their Charleston home during the early months of the pandemic. The market responded almost instantly. Their DIY manicure solution resonated with customers looking for self-care at home.
Within months, orders were flooding in.
Success arrived quickly, but it brought a serious logistical challenge. Polish Pops shipped its first 35,000 orders from the couple’s home. The garage was the primary packing area, the dining room held inventory, and bedrooms doubled as shipping stations. It was resourceful, but exhausting.
“Our house was completely overrun,” Paolo recalled. “Every corner had boxes or packing tape. We couldn’t keep living like that—especially once we found out we were having twins.”
The pressure to grow professionally while balancing personal life pushed them to explore real solutions. They knew it was time to leave the house and enter a space that matched their momentum.
Their first move was a small, 350-square-foot private unit. It wasn’t glamorous, but it brought much-needed relief. Having a dedicated warehouse room provided them with physical separation between work and family life, as well as space to get organized.
It also highlighted a new challenge: how to scale without constantly relocating. In less than six months, they outgrew the space. Nine months after that, their upgraded 1,500-square-foot facility was also maxed out.
“We were growing faster than our spaces could keep up with,” Paolo said. “Every time we hit a stride, we had to stop and figure out how to find more room. And each move was costly and disruptive.”
That’s when they discovered Cubework—a national network offering flexible warehouse solutions that adapt to a company’s growth. Unlike traditional warehouse leasing agreements, Cubework’s model is designed for businesses like Polish Pops: nimble, fast-moving, and resource-conscious.
“With Cubework, we finally had a solution that worked long-term,” Paolo said. “We didn’t need to commit to a giant space we couldn’t fill yet. We could start small and grow into more space gradually.”
This model wasn’t just convenient—it was transformational. Polish Pops successfully transitioned into a clean, private office and warehouse setup that included storage, packing areas, and a creative space. The ability to do everything under one roof helped their lean team stay efficient and focused.
The idea of tapping into new markets without restarting from scratch—without renegotiating complex leases or building out infrastructure—meant Polish Pops could scale smartly. Their Cubework location became the launchpad not just for daily operations, but for strategic growth.
Cubework operates in dozens of cities across the U.S., providing industrial flex space, creative studios, and distribution centers to growing companies. This “multi-city footprint” was particularly appealing to Polish Pops as they began considering regional expansion and faster fulfillment times.
With Cubework, the business finally found the flexibility to keep pace with its success.
For startups, warehouse space is more than just a place to store goods; it's a strategic asset. In Polish Pops' case, it allowed them to move faster, stay organized, and serve customers more reliably. Every time they added new products or ran a promotional campaign, they had the physical space and logistics support to respond.
This wasn’t just about warehouse storage—it was about creating a workflow that worked.
The infrastructure Cubework provided finally allowed Paolo and Monique to redirect their focus. They could now concentrate on product development, marketing, and community building, rather than real estate and fulfillment bottlenecks.
Despite their national growth, Polish Pops remains a tight-knit team. That’s why Cubework’s adaptable model was so important. They did not require a decade-long lease or an oversized, unused warehouse. Instead, they needed intelligent, efficient solutions.
Their current space provides everything from packing stations and inventory shelves to breakout zones for creative work. It’s a far cry from shipping orders in their garage—and a massive leap toward long-term sustainability.
“It’s like having our custom setup, without the overhead of doing it all ourselves,” Paolo explained.
Polish Pops’ journey isn’t just a feel-good story—it’s a playbook for other startups navigating the messy middle between home business and national brand. Their experience reveals some hard-earned truths about growth and space:
Start where you are. Don't overcommit early. That first small space gave them relief and clarity.
Build with flexibility. As markets shift and consumer behavior changes, your space needs will too.
Space affects everything. From morale to speed to product innovation, the right space impacts every area of your business.
Polish Pops is now expanding into new markets and product lines, leveraging Cubework’s infrastructure. And they’re doing it without sacrificing what made them successful in the first place: agility, creativity, and community focus.
For any startup looking to grow smartly, Cubework offers the unique ability to access professional spaces without the burden of traditional real estate models. Whether you’re after a short term** warehouse **for seasonal overflow or a dedicated warehouse shared space for fulfillment, the platform lets you plug into a ready-built system that flexes with your needs.
Cubework’s model is also ideal for e-commerce brands that want to unify warehousing and fulfillment under one roof. Polish Pops took full advantage of this, benefiting from smoother workflows and quicker response times.
And as they continue to grow, they know the next chapter doesn’t require tearing everything down and starting over. It just means expanding into the next available warehouse space—wherever the market leads them.
The success of Polish Pops demonstrates how an informed choice of location can propel a young brand into a significant space. Here are three takeaways for other startups facing similar challenges. Start small, but plan to grow – Don’t overreach at the outset.
Find a site that suits you now, but allows room for future growth. Flexibility trumps fixed costs – particularly in uncertain markets, having flexible space can offer a significant advantage. Integrated space improves efficiency – With packing, inventory, and creativity on site, time is saved and teamwork is better.
Cubework’s flexible, multi-city warehouse network is built to support your next chapter. Explore more of our spaces or call (888) 599-7809** **and start scaling smarter.
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