Pop-Up Shops! Who Knew?

Posted March 10, 2016 by Katie Caskey

Who is enjoying their spring break so far? I know I am! As I write this, I am simultaneously finishing up laundry left over from a weekend spent hosting my mom who flew in from Minnesota and packing for a wedding in Tennessee that I leave for tomorrow…no rest for the weary, but I wouldn’t trade these frund times for the world! So, in honor of the fun, bubbly, vacation-y mood I’m in, I”m taking a week off of blogging (or thinking) about anything remotely schoarly. Sorry, but I want to talk about donuts instead. 

To be more specific, I want to talk about the maple bacon donut that I had a few days ago from the fun, new pop-up shop next door to my grocery store. This donut was perfection! First of all, it was HUGE, and, as we Americans know, bigger is always better when it comes to sweets. J The frosting was rich and maple-y without being too strong, and the bacon was real fried bacon, not those stale smoked bacon bits you find in cheap salad bars. It was a tear-inducing donut experience.

But let’s step back from the donut itself and talk more about this shop. Until, well now, I’ve never heard of a pop-up shop. But talking to the owner of the shop, this is what I learned. This particular location in the larger strip of stores has been specifically reserved to host a rotating series of temporary businesses on a monthly basis. So, last month there was a bagel shop, this month has donuts, and apparently a candy store is next in line! At first I was confused…why would someone purposefully keep their businesses rotating so much? Wouldn’t that cause confusion? But the more I think about it, the more I realize what a great idea it is! By limiting the length of time a particular business’ fare will be available they make it a special commodity, drawing in more customers since they know whatever is there will be gone soon, so they can justify more frequent trips. Also, they are making their patrons return again and again to see what new shop has “popped up” since their last visit.

I am loving the variety of options we are getting, and so far all of the businesses have been very tasty! But this makes me wonder…would this model work for non-food businesses? I could see it working for clothing boutiques or something, but it seems like it has to be pleasure fare, rather than necessities. People don’t want to plan the purchasing of their paper products or cleaning supplies around a rotating monthly schedule. Hmmm…what are your thoughts? And do you know of any other pop-up locations around the city for me to try?

Well, that’s it for me. Back to packing…and I hope you all enjoy the rest of your break! Eat a donut for me.