Getting Pop-Ups to Take Root

The holiday gift season has in recent years become a time for innovative temporary stores that move in for a few weeks of unique and low-frill retailing to serve the gift-buying public. The great thing about pop-up stores is that they can quickly – and cheaply, for the business owner – set up shop, bringing new retail activity to what would have otherwise been an empty storefront. The problem, though, is inextricably linked to the benefit: what pops up eventually pops down.

While permanent retail may not be the goal for many of these business owners or even a real need in some of the places they’re popping up, there are a lot of jobless people and storeless cities around the U.S. that would be most happy to see some longer term economic activity.