Huffington Post
By: Margarita Barry
Posted: 11/27/11 07:33 PM ET
By: Margarita Barry
Posted: 11/27/11 07:33 PM ET
"As unique small businesses continue to sprout and help transform the economic landscape of the once-booming automotive capital of the nation, a largely untapped retail concept is quickly gaining steam. Unequivocally of the moment, uncertain, changing -- words that could also describe Detroit and its up-and-coming movers seeking their next -- pop-up shops, temporary stores that "pop up" one day then disappear shortly thereafter, may offer local entrepreneurs just the opportunity they've been looking for.
I have a bit of firsthand experience having launched a pop-up of my own last summer. 71 Pop would put a twist on the traditional pop-up model, rotating out several shops in a single space and providing an array of services to the local artists involved including online sales, video profiles, and web consulting. Suddenly my life was beginning to mirror an episode of "How To Make It In America," only replace the NYC flash with Motor City gravitas, as I tried to navigate the murky waters of Detroit's pop-up scene. Unbeknownst to me I was doing something I've avoided my whole life: I was being trendy.
And how? Just days before the opening of 71, The Somerset Collection launched their CityLoft shop at downtown's Lofts of Merchants Row, a concept that grew out of the success of its slightly older yet equally attractive suburbanite sister, Detroit Shoppe. The shop included high-style installations like Neiman Marcus, Betsey Johnson, and Michael Kors for three days during its three-month run last season and will make its way back this December for the holidays.
Though the heavy hitters were just getting their feet wet in pop-up territory, the concept wasn't entirely new to the city. Complex, a women's apparel boutique just minutes from city proper in Birmingham, offers space for pop-up retail. Pop Up Detroit, a roving art exhibition, has been known to dabble in sales. Ferndale's Rust Belt Market had recently built out a DIY flea market, the original collaborative pop-up model. But it was an everyday Joe who was the local forefather of sorts."
Click here to read the complete Huffington Post article.
I have a bit of firsthand experience having launched a pop-up of my own last summer. 71 Pop would put a twist on the traditional pop-up model, rotating out several shops in a single space and providing an array of services to the local artists involved including online sales, video profiles, and web consulting. Suddenly my life was beginning to mirror an episode of "How To Make It In America," only replace the NYC flash with Motor City gravitas, as I tried to navigate the murky waters of Detroit's pop-up scene. Unbeknownst to me I was doing something I've avoided my whole life: I was being trendy.
And how? Just days before the opening of 71, The Somerset Collection launched their CityLoft shop at downtown's Lofts of Merchants Row, a concept that grew out of the success of its slightly older yet equally attractive suburbanite sister, Detroit Shoppe. The shop included high-style installations like Neiman Marcus, Betsey Johnson, and Michael Kors for three days during its three-month run last season and will make its way back this December for the holidays.
Though the heavy hitters were just getting their feet wet in pop-up territory, the concept wasn't entirely new to the city. Complex, a women's apparel boutique just minutes from city proper in Birmingham, offers space for pop-up retail. Pop Up Detroit, a roving art exhibition, has been known to dabble in sales. Ferndale's Rust Belt Market had recently built out a DIY flea market, the original collaborative pop-up model. But it was an everyday Joe who was the local forefather of sorts."
Click here to read the complete Huffington Post article.
No comments:
Post a Comment