Popuphood in Oakland, San Francisco is an urban initiative offering free retail space in unused buildings to local entrepreneurs, in yet another variation of the pop-up retail concept.
Trend monitoring website Springwise.com reports Popuphood was launched last December by Alfonso Dominquez and Sarah Filley to encourage urban renewal in Oakland where - despite a thriving bar and restaurant scene - retail is struggling.
The project started in the historic neighborhood of Old Oakland, filling five previously vacant store fronts with five new retail shops, including a jewellers and art gallery.
The project’s main focus is to support the local community, providing them with a vibrant shopping area and giving local artists, designers and retailers the opportunity to open their own store for six months, rent free.
The project is described in this video clip on YouTube.
POPUPHOOD from Eva Kolenko on Vimeo.
By building cross-sector partnerships with state and federal governments and economic development professionals, popuphood hope to incubate small businesses and create a dynamic community-centric neighborhood, optimising empty retail space block by block.
Springwise reports that at a time of growing appeal of locally made products and services the concept of popuphood addresses consumer demand as well as an economic and social problem.