Pop UPs Are A National Trend!

Downtown Shreveport is not ‘reinventing the wheel’ with this Pop Up event. Cities as diverse as Dayton, Ohio, Birmingham, Ala., Pittsburgh, Penn., New York, NY to tiny Gardiner, Maine, have hosted the concept.

Each city does it a little differently- Pop Ups run from one week in some cities (Birmingham) to one year in others (Pittsburgh). Some cities offer $10,000 grants to each winner (Pittsburgh), some simply provide the space for them to offer their goods (Gardiner).

One thing is universal—the Pop Up Projects create excitement, buzz and opportunities.  In Dayton, two stores that were part of the pop up program converted their temporary leases to long term ones, in Dover, Del., a pop up computer business located downtown permanently, in Birmingham, Ala., of the 31 pop up participants to date, seven have become permanent tenants.

Additionally, the projects helped showcase commercial property, offered small businesses and entrepreneurs the opportunity to have a brick and mortar location, and created retail sales.

In January, we ran a column in The Forum about our pop up plan. This email from Megan Fornier, a former Shreveporter who now lives in Maine, is typical of the response we got.

“The more we discover, the more we want to be there!  Not just to be close to family, but to also be a part of this new cultural renaissance that’s gaining traction in the downtown area.  

In my weekly run-through of various Shreveport articles and posts over the weekend, your article about pop up projects caught my eye.  Here in Maine my husband and I have been involved with three different communities that have been in various stages of downtown revitalization efforts.   From temporary art installations to retail setups to impromptu music venues, the pop up concept has worked well in all three.  It’s a concept that I love for the exact reasons that you stated – it creates a sense of vibrancy that can help potential investors and audiences envision an area’s potential.”  

Ultimately, our goal is to positively impact Downtown Shreveport with additional life and excitement, but in doing so if we bring creative young people back home, all the better!

Questions (and Answers)!

So Many Questions (And As Many Answers!)

Why Are We Doing This? Twofold- to encourage businesses to expand to a real brick-and mortar location by providing an opportunity to set up shop and test out business concepts. All the better if that location happens to be downtown!

When Will This Fun Happen? We plan to offer two opportunities in 2014, once in May and once during the fall. If things go really, swimmingly well, we may do a short Pop UP for the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season. If it goes as we hope, this will be just the beginning.

How Will Pop Ups Be Chosen? It will be a competitive selection process. DDA/DSDC and our sponsor partners will send out a Request for Proposals via local media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the Downtown Blog, our website and others, through CoHab and advertised in The Forum. We might even hire a plane to skywrite it. (Or maybe not.)

What Type of Businesses Can Apply? All sorts. Fashion, jewelry, donuts, bakeries, smoothies, tech gadgets, if entrepreneurs can dream it, we’ll probably allow it (with some exceptions, obviously. Nothing risqué or embarrassing to the property owner, sponsors or downtown.) Some cities also encourage art installation Pop-Ups. We have a long list of great ideas for these shops.

Where Will These Pop Ups Be? We have identified three locations downtown ripe for a cluster of Pop UP Projects- the Red River District, Central Business District and Shreveport Common. In May, the Pop UPs will be in the Red River District under the Texas Street Bridge in downtown Shreveport, a shaded, attractive space between historic Commerce Street and the Clyde Fant Parkway. There are several available storefront spaces in the RRD. We will choose the space that is best for you but will encourage your input on the square footage and amenities that you will need in your space. All will be equipped with electricity, climate control and nearby bathroom access.

What Will the Business Owner Need to Provide? You will need to staff your Pop UP and have it open during the dates and times specified. You will be responsible for setting your store up, acquiring the shelving and stands needed to show off your products in the best possible light and having products available for sale or viewing. You will be responsible for helping us market you and your products or ideas by working with us with the media, inviting your friends to come downtown to shop at your store and participating in events we will be hosting to show off our Pop UPs.  We feel like it’s very true that the more you care and put into your Pop UP, the more successful it will be.

What Will DSDC/Citizen’s National Bank Provide?  We will provide the location for your Pop UP rent free, marketing for your Pop UP and business, lending, business and banking advice as needed, signage for your Pop UP and the insurance needed for you Pop UP. We will make it as logistically simple for you as possible.

 

The Story of the Pop UP Project

 GET READY TO TAKE YOUR  ENTREPRENEURIAL DREAM DOWNTOWN

In 2014, the Downtown Shreveport Development Corporation and Citizen’s National Bank will show that Downtown is ‘Open for Business’ by providing select entrepreneurs with an opportunity to have commercial space rent-free in which to show the viability of their business or commercial endeavor.

It’s no secret to us – Shreveport is home to a multitude of creative talent in both our small business and artist communities. Even better, sometimes these two communities collide!

As part of our first-ever Pop Up programming in 2014, we plan to activate empty storefronts in two target commercial districts with retail and art installations, sourced from Shreveport’s very own aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives.

Vacant storefronts identified and vetted by the DSDC and Downtown Development Authority will be offered to both current and aspiring businesses through a Request for Proposals that will be scored by a team interested in helping bring Downtown back to (retail) life! Those chosen will be given first floor storefront space rent-free for a still-to-be-determined period of time (two weeks to one month) that will allow them to test the viability of their business plan.

The benefits of the Pop Up Program are many: It will match business owners & entrepreneurs with downtown property owners, create a strong marketing opportunity for the business, the property and downtown, engage the downtown community with new pedestrian opportunities, and encourage more new businesses!

The Downtown Shreveport Pop Up Project is an opportunity for people to turn ideas into reality, for dreamers to become doers.