BUSINESS Westport offers pop-up shops for start-ups

Pop up your shopping


Money matters
Brid Conroy

From my computer in the rural Mayo seaside village of Accony, I can virtually buy anything that Davey the postman can deliver. The wonder of the internet has changed all our shopping habits forever. Multi-national companies realising this, started experimenting with the pop-up shop phenomenon in 2004, to bring a fresh feel to retail and find new ways of delighting customers. Now it is being used as a tool to bring life to buildings and towns suffering with a surplus of vacant properties.
At first, companies like eBay and Starbucks would pop-up a shop in some trendy area of New York as a way of promoting their brand and new products. Other initiatives would pop up unannounced, quickly draw in the crowds and then disappear or morph into something else, adding to retail the fresh feel, akin to a gallery or theatre. All sorts of weird and wonderful temporary structures were used, like fold-out markets with sitting rooms in the middle of a park or a space ship structure erected in a busy street.

Safe space
Eventually, the hype died down – but the pop-up shop did not go away. What has emerged is a new way of retailing, and it is very significant for us here in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland. Towns with a multitude of empty premises have an opportunity to do something with those buildings and start to build our economy based on businesses that can be sustained into the future. Entrepreneurs get a safe space to experiment. 
Dun Laoghaire in Dublin has been extremely successful with using the concept to regenerate the town. Astronomical rents and the economic collapse meant more and more premises were being left empty, and more and more shoppers were turning away from the town. Rathdown Town Council took the brave decision to do something about this, and the results have been amazing. When I last enquired, they had a four month waiting list for premises.

Property dating
It works by matching landlords to potential retailers. It’s like dating – all the fun without the commitment. The landlord gets to showcase their building and take in some money.
The retailer gets a chance to experiment with their products and understand the feasibility of their business. Often the rent is set at a reduced rate and some support is given from the local council to get set-up.
Westport Town Council has just voted on a scheme for Westport Town. It’s a brilliant concept. A town could become known for its variety of offerings for shoppers and tourists alike, and it could become a breeding ground for budding entrepreneurs.
The council’s Pop-Up Shop Initiative is aimed at low-cost retail or exhibition businesses looking to trade for a maximum of six weeks. The council is also offering a longer-term scheme, the Business Incentive Scheme, aimed at new start-up businesses looking to take a lease for a minimum of two years.
For more information on the advantages that these schemes could offer you and your start-up business, contact Westport Town Council on 098 50400. What have you got to lose?