Holiday pop-up shops
Portland, Ore.
A joint partnership between the city and private businesses in Portland put empty retail spaces to work last year for the November/December shopping deluge.
Four seasonal pop-up shops took up a six-week residence, merchandising the work of 40 local artisans such as clothing and jewelry designers. In a bleak commercial real-estate climate, the pop-ups were a vibrant lure drawing shoppers to downtown Portland.
"These designers never had anything in a window before," says Megan Doern, the Portland Business Alliance's vice president of communications & programming. "They were so excited about exhibiting something they'd sweated over and loved for so long."
The pop-ups almost acted like small-business internships: the collaborators had to supply merchandise, set up displays and staff the store. Doern says the Portland Business Alliance hopes to recreate the pop-ups again in the future.
Pop-up shops have taken the U.S. by storm, and even larger retailers are taking notice. A Target pop-up shop in New York City in March was cleaned out of its Liberty of London collection in just a few days. The Gap has unveiled pop-ups stores with themes (like "dance" or "jeans") in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago recently.
Taking advantage of the trend, online site PopUpInsider.com is matchmaking the way the Portland did, by introducing those with empty retail spaces to budding entrepreneurs.
Why it works: "The temporary nature of vehicles, stalls and pop-ups creates an urgency to respond now," Yarrow says. "To act and spend today, instead of knowing they can always come some other time."
A new store in an old haunt can excite pedestrians and passerby. "Pop-ups stand out," Yarrow says. "We always notice those things that are new, when we don't even see things that have been around for years."
Larger chains are jumping on the pop-up bandwagon because they're aware of the marketing appeal. The Gap's temporary storefronts work like a "human, interactive billboard," she says. "It's really resonating with people."
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