Trend Alert: Pop-Up Shops

By Lauren Sherman
November 17, 2009

Why are pop-ups so popular? The fleeting nature of these purposefully short-lived outposts stirs up a "get there before it's gone" feeling, especially amongst those hungry for an exhilarating shopping experience. Here's a little background: Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo helped launch the concept back in 2004 with her first "Guerrilla" store in Berlin. Since then, temporary storefronts have become de rigueur with all sorts of retailers, from indie designers like Los Angeles-based Jenni Kayne to mass brands such as Toys 'R' Us to luxury labels like Gucci, which has a traveling pop-up to showcase its sneaker collaboration with DJ Mark Ronson.

And this holiday season, pop-up shops have proven even more practical because of lowered rents and increased vacancies in commercial real estate. (We've seen more than a few «pop-up shop» welcome signs in empty store windows over the last few few months.) Behold, our round-up of the season's top 10 pop-ups, from New York to San Francisco.

1. eBay Holiday Pop-Up and Mobile Boutique

3 West 57th Street, New York, NY
November 20th to 29th
10 am-7:30 pm; closed on Thanksgiving Day; doors open at 11 am on Sunday and at 7 am on Black Friday

The online marketplace—and home of The Inside Source—will host an interactive shop where visitors can peruse and purchase on eBay via Internet kiosks, hand-held tablets and mobile phones. eBay experts and personal shoppers will be there to guide customers through the purchasing process. Top holiday products—including clothing from reality TV star Kim Kardashian's upcoming charity auction—will be showcased. Plus, if you can't make it to Manhattan, eBay's mobile boutique (filled with more of the same and pulled by an eco-friendly biodesel truck!) is traveling to 13 different cities this season. Stops include Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and more.

2. Jenni Kayne

85 Mercer Street, New York, NY
Through November 30th
Monday-Saturday, 11 am-7 pm; Sunday, noon to 6 pm

L.A.-based designer Jenni Kayne is known for giving American sportswear an edge. Her polished, vintage-inspired line is sold at her West Hollywood boutique and select pieces are available at high-end shops around the country. Now for the first time, those in New York can get their hands on her entire fall 2009 collection. Standout pieces include high-waisted trousers, a classic boyfriend blazer tweaked with knitted sleeves and several shawl collar dresses, like the electric blue one shown here.

3. Gift! at Space 15 Twenty

1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
November 27th to January 30th
Monday-Thursday, 11 am-9 pm; Friday, 11 am-10 pm; Saturday, 10 am-10 pm; Sunday, 10 am-9:00 pm

Created by Urban Outfitters to showcase designer collaborations with labels like Lark & Wolf by Steven Alan and Colonial Madness by LD Tuttle, Space 15 Twenty also houses several pop up shops, with new brands rotating in each month. For the holidays, the Gift! shop will include seven themed shop-in-shops: seasonal decorations, cameras, music, d-i-y projects, books, clothes for men and clothes for women.

4. Sikara Jewelry

2167 Union Street, San Francisco, CA
Through December 30th
11 am-6 pm

Austin-based jeweler Sikara's San Francisco pop-up location is great for reasonably-priced baubles that will appeal to a wide range of tastes. Sourced from around the world, designs range from modern (Barragán wood and silver linked bracelet, $250) to earthy (Arabesque filigree earrings with garnet, $145). San Francisco-based stylist Jill Siefert will be in the store most Mondays to help clients choose the right piece.

5. Save Fashion

Inven.tory, 237 Lafayette Street, New York, NY
Through November 22nd
9 am-10 pm

The first installment of Save Fashion—a pop-up sample sale featuring dozens of hip brands like Acne and Rachel Comey—took place at the grimy Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown. For the holidays, the sale—created by the team behind indie fashion Web site Refinery29.com—has moved downtown to Nolita and into decidedly cleaner boutique Inven.tory. This time around, must-have labels include Jeffrey Monteiro (who is rumored to be the next head designer at Bill Blass) and Made Her Think jewelry as well as a selection of goods from Urban Outfitters' designer collaboration series. Save Fashion has been such a success that Refinery 29 founder Philippe von Borries says that he eventually wants to make it a permanent fixture. "We look forward to taking the brand from its first, guerrilla-style incarnation to a long-term shopping venue," von Borries told The Inside Source.

6. Kooky

3447 Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL
Through December 24th
Monday-Saturday, 10 am-5 pm (Thursdays until 7 pm); Sunday, 11 am-4 pm

Twelve independent designers joined together to create Kooky, a pop-up boutique dedicated to kids clothing and baby gear. Gift-ables include kimono-wrapped baby booties from Lily Sky Designs, graphic tees from Pluto and fair-trade sweaters from SuperCute!.

7. The Future Perfect

Chelsea Market, New York, NY
Through January 31st
Monday-Friday, 10 am-9 pm; Saturday, 10 am-8 pm; Sunday, 10 am-7 pm

www.chelseamarket.com and www.thefutureperfect.com

Brooklyn design store The Future Perfect set up shop in the Meatpacking District's famed Chelsea Market. Here, customers can peruse whimsical table-top items selected by founder Dave Alhadeff while filling up on Fat Witch Brownies and lattes from Ninth Street Espresso.

8. Dr. Martens

1509 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA
Open indefinitely, but not forever!
Monday-Friday, 10 am-8 pm; Saturday, 10 am-7 pm; Sunday, 11 am-6 pm

It's fitting that the grunge-era shoe of choice would host its first U.S. pop-up in the city where it all began. Capitalizing on its latest renaissance, Dr. Martens is featuring its latest styles—including delicate floral and patent leather—in the space, which is a few blocks away from Pike's Place fish market. While the company doesn't consider this a permanent location, it's not exactly sure when it will close the doors, either, though the store will definitely be open after the holidays.

9. Gucci Icon-Temporary

Miami Beach, FL
December 1st-TBD (two to three weeks, depending on supply and demand)
Location and hours TBA

This traveling pop-up shop hit New York in September and will move on to London, Berlin, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo after its stint in Miami, which will coincide with Art Basel in early December. The crux of the store is its (pricey!) 18-style sneaker collection—16 styles for men and two for women—as well as a limited edition Gucci Ronson sneaker, designed by celebrity DJ Marc Ronson. (The style is a boat shoe/sneaker hybrid in vibrant colors.) Each pair of sneakers comes with unique packaging designed specifically for that city.

10. Nau

69 Mercer Street, New York, NY
Through December 31st
Monday-Saturday, 11 am-7 pm; Sunday, 11 am-6 pm

Along with showcasing its fall 2009 collection, eco-friendly active wear brand Nau will host events during its time in SoHo, including a celebration on November 19^th that's open to the public. Music group Har Mar Superstar will perform, and the artwork of Benjamin Drummond and Sara Joy Steele will be on display.

**All photos provided by the featured stores.**

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