There is a new buzz word in the battle against urban decline and vacant retail space—“pop-ups.” Simply put, a pop-up is a short term use of a retail space. Sometimes they come in the form of holiday stores, which close down after the season, while Target and other large retailers use them to promote specific products or lines. Urban development initiatives, however, have begun to use pop-ups as a tool to reinvigorate declining shopping districts and main streets by changing perceptions of the neighborhoods they open in and demonstrating to potential investors and entrepreneurs the value of investing in these communities.
Pop-ups fill under-utilized retail space, and often feature works of local craftspeople and artists. They also may feature community outreach and events that bring community members together and encourage new collaborations. Pop-ups not only serve the immediate neighborhood, but often draw visitors from surrounding zip codes, providing an opportunity for an entire business district to attract new patronage.
The September/October edition of Main Street Now, the bi-monthly magazine of the National Trust Main Street Center, includes a center piece article on pop-ups, detailing a number of projects across the country, strategies for implementation, and their impact on the community. One of the pop-ups featured, the Mt. Pleasant Temporium, ran from February 18 to March 13 and was directed by Partners’ senior program officer Jessica Scheuerman, with Partners’ Liz Bieber coordinating special events and Brian Miller directing marketing.
The Temporium was made possible by a grant from the DC Office of Planning’s Temporary Urbanism Initiative, which funds pop-ups across the city. The Main Street Now article highlights some of the strategies that brought success to the Temporium such as recruiting arts organizations and other partners that have ties to local artists and other potential vendors or that provide marketing opportunities.
For more on the Mount Pleasant Temporium, please visit:
or contact Jessica Scheuerman at:
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