Like the command “abracadabra,” retailers in some metro-area spaces are coming and going almost as quickly as the time it takes to wave a magic wand.
The phenomenon, known as the pop-up store, isn’t new when you consider Christmas-tree lots and Halloween stores that pop up during holiday seasons.
But the modern version is more often a bricks-and-mortar piece of retail real estate where the landlord agrees to a short-term lease.
For the retailer, it’s a way to create “buzz” and a sense of urgency for shoppers to snap up their products while they last.
For the landlord, it’s the chance to fill a space that would otherwise be dark. For Wendy Manning, marketing director at the Denver Pavilions, a prime piece of shopping-mall real estate along the 16th Street Mall — the aptly named The Pop-Up Store — creates a winning environment for both parties.
“It makes sense for us, because it’s either have a cute, local-friendly store that has unique crafted items or have a vacant space,” Manning said about the collection of work from various artists carried at the store. “When someone walks in and says, ‘This is a great space, I could see my store in here,’ it’s a win-win.”
The Pavilions Pop-Up Store opened June 5 and closes Sept. 15. Business partners Samuel Schimek and Brian Corrigan introduced the idea for the temporary store during Create Denver Week, a showcase for Denver’s creative community, where the store opened and closed at 1600 Glenarm.
“We took the idea of popping up at a retail location, livening the space and showcasing the Denver community,” Schimek said. “It served as an incubator for creative ideas.”
Schimek and Corrigan’s partners in the venture are 303 Magazine, the Denver Theatre District, the Denver Pavilions and Create Denver.
“It’s about showcasing what’s happening in Denver, giving it a space that isn’t being utilized, bringing in activity and promoting so many artists,” Schimek said.
And when the Pop-Up Store pops down, they’ll look for another temporary spot. “We’re looking at South Broadway or the Cherry Creek area,” Schimek said.
Wedding bells.
Brittany Morris, Commerce City’s economic-development director and daughter of famed Denver music promoter Chuck Morris, got a surprise in the form of a popped question backstage at Red Rocks during the recent Big Head Todd and the Monsters concert.
She said “Yes” to longtime beau Tim Saunders, a Denver lawyer, who proposed via writing on the wall inside the underground tunnel that leads backstage.
“Her 11-year-old brother, Zachary Morris, wrote, ‘Will you marry me, Brittany?’ on the wall before they walked down the tunnel,” said proud papa Chuck. “She’s my first kid to get engaged. I have four girls and three to go.”
The engagement was celebrated with dinner backstage with friends and the Morris clan. The wedding will take place next summer.
Stop, shop, eat.
Shop and eat on 17th Avenue on Thursday and participating merchants will donate 10 percent of net sales to the National Wildlife Federation to help with the massive volunteer effort in response to the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Participating businesses include Talulah Jones, Babylon, Soul Haus, Peppermint, Ahimsa Footwear, Strings restaurant, Olivea restaurant, Hamburger Mary’s and Watercourse Foods. More info: Robin Lohre, Talulah Jones, 303-296-7327.
Beer here.
Great Divide Brewing Co. is adding three 300-barrel fermenters, which will increase the brewer’s capacity by 50 percent, from 16,000 barrels to 24,000 barrels per year.
The three additional tanks will allow Great Divide to brew and sell an additional 8,000 cases of beer per month. Brewery owner Brian Dunn said he hopes to be packaging the first beers from these tanks next month.
Eavesdropping:
on a man at Denver Zoo’s Do at the Zoo:
“Sipping martinis and looking at hippos? Doesn’t get more fun than that.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
