Pop-up ‘Stores’ Busting out All Over

In recent years, the concept of the “pop-up” store - or temporary, stand-alone retail outlet - has expanded. Now, pop-ups can be found not only in malls or Times Square during the holidays but in galleries, salons, bars and on the streets in targeted neighborhoods, Media Life writes.

And pop-ups no longer have to be a temporary space to sell product. Rather, they can be a place to stage an event or to provide sampling. They can also be a way of attracting media attention, such as Meow Mix’s Cafe for cats and Delta Air Lines’ Song in the City.

Pop-up stores have traditionally been placed in high-traffic locations such as Times Square, but now, some companies such as Boston’s Alt Terrain specialize in neighborhood settings.

“We focus in trend-setting neighborhoods, places like the Lower East Side of Manhattan or Newbury Street in Boston,” president Adam Salacuse is quoted as saying. “The idea is to do something that becomes part of the fabric of where consumers live, shop and hang out.”

If the focus of the pop-up is to create buzz rather than to actually sell anything, the pop-up might remain open for 10 days to two weeks. If it is selling a product, it might remain for four to six weeks.

Alt Terrain has pop-up programs in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Diego, Miami, Boston, Cleveland, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Detroit, Seattle, Houston, Denver and other top 20 markets.

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