Why Support a Pop-Up Shop?
Pop-Up Shops have been a unique, dynamic, and attractive form of retail for thousands of years. Recently they have become more popular among entrepreneurs and even larger corporations that see the value in using the platform to reach customers.
Pop-Up Shops are so unique from one another, that they immediately offer each community the added flavor, color, and attractions that is usually only seen in large venues such as mega-malls.
As a Landlord, you have the incredible opportunity to become part of improving your vacant space's appeal to permanent residence, give back to your community, and help an entrepreneur while they help you!
There are numerous great reasons to support a pop-up shop renting your space including:
- Additional income
- A reduction to certain maintenance costs
- Improved property valuation
- Reduced vandalism, squatting, or other illegal activity
- Lower insurance costs
- Growth in the long-term valuation of the property due to increased local consumer activity
- Revitalization of the local area / community
- Renewed or increased interest from commercial tenants to rent the space permanently
- The potential for a pop-up to transition into a permanent tenant
What’s Involved in Supporting a Pop-Up Shop?
Generally, being part of a pop-up shop project involves:
- Providing your space for a given period of time, which may renew or transition into a permanent rental
- Negotiating a rental agreement
- Zero opportunity costs (you won’t lose anything, and may gain plenty of benefits!)
- Your space is kept clean and presentable for the duration of the rental
How Do I Attract Pop-Up Entrepreneurs to My Space?
There are numerous websites, community organizations, and other resources for you to attract pop-up entrepreneurs to rent your space. Some landlord-tenant matching sites on the internet include Tempo Space, Pop Up Go, and This Open Space.
The best strategy to find a suitable pop-up shop entrepreneur is to take a varied approach: talk to your local community members or organizations, check online postings, post your space online (in Canada you can try Kijiji) with craigslist being a popular tool, speak with your local Universities and Colleges (especially if they have entrepreneurship schools / programs), and even local government websites and members can be a great source of information and leads.
Landlord Testimonials
DECA (Danforth East Community Association) worked with 11 property owners during the pop-up shop project. 100% would recommend the pop-up shop project to other landlords. In this video Takis Plagiannakos speaks about his experience with a pop-up shop tenant.
Landlord-Tenant Matching Sites
Landlords can often post their retail space free of charge on pop-up shop landlord-tenant matching websites. Since these websites are relatively new in Canada, you may also consider posting on sites such as Craigslist or Kijiji.
Has Canadian Listings:
Occasional Canadian Listings:
