FORT WORTH — Nestled next to high end stores in the Westbend shopping center, a new pop-up shop opened Monday that sells nothing but the perfect selfie.
Snap151 is a space designed for visitors to get just the right shot for their Instagram feeds, with eight eye-popping backdrops featuring everything from giant flowers to balloon dogs to donuts. There's even a real ski lift that was brought in from Denver.
"We just really wanted to create an experience," co-creator Audrey Miranda said.
Miranda and her business partner Dawn Snodgrass quit their jobs in marketing to start this new business, jumping on a trend of Instagram-driven businesses that have blossomed around the country. While some so-called Instagram museums have opened in Dallas, they say this is the first of its kind in Fort Worth.
"We'd seen it elsewhere and thought, we could totally do that!" Snodgrass said.
The shop will be open 7 days a week through January, and they charge $16 a ticket for the experience with timed reservations online. It's a good fit for the Westbend, which has prominently featured Instagram-friendly art installations throughout the property.
Monday was opening day, and Snap151 says most of its visitors are young women. Moms have brought their young children, and group of friends have dropped by. There have also been women with Instagram boyfriends who are designated picture takers.
Jamie Miglionico, Kathryn Wingenter and Reign Parker are three friends who stopped by to check it out. They heard about it on Instagram and at first thought it was an actual museum.
"We better get a certain number of likes because we paid for them this time," Parker said with a laugh.
The women are in their early 20s, and they said they know plenty of people might see a selfie store as ridiculous. They see the humor too but also had a lot of fun with their visit.
"I feel like we're kind of in the middle. There's an age of people above us kind of making fun of this, but there are people below us who are taking it really seriously," Wingenter said. "It's just funny that there's an entire place dedicated to eight different backdrops for an Instagram picture."
Snap151 will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. until Jan. 27.