“Pop-up shops” have become a retail phenomenon as merchants take advantage of empty storefronts to rent a space for a short period of time.
The concept can be a win-win for the business, which may just want to gauge market interest or test out a bricks-and-mortar presence, and for the landlord, which can briefly fill a vacancy that had been generating no income.
Pop-ups are among several strategies being pursued in downtown Santa Barbara, which has been struggling with an explosion of vacancies over the last few years — as well as other obstacles outlined in Noozhawk’s ongoing Reimagine: Santa Barbara series.
Montecito has been suffering profound retail challenges of its own in the aftermath of our all-too-recent twin catastrophes: The December 2017 Thomas Fire and the deadly Jan. 9 flash flooding and debris flows.
As a commercial retail property owner on Coast Village Road myself, I can attest to the extraordinary turbulence of 2018. In fact, some of my longest-term tenants have closed their doors as a result of the disaster downturn.
While Coast Village Road and Montecito’s Upper Village don’t have many vacancies or a homeless population camping out at their front doors, there is still anxiety in the air this holiday season.
Thus the allure of a pop-up shop.
Kimberly Phillips Hayes is owner of Maison K at 1253 Coast Village Road, one of Montecito’s most desirable destination boutiques for the last 10 years. She has a talent for design, merchandising, and sourcing unique household items and personal accessories from around the world.
The atmosphere Hayes has created provides not just goods but offers an enchanting shopping experience — including a pop-up shop right in her store, and not for the first time.
“I’m featuring a line by an artist for Samira 13 Jewelry that features Tahitian South Sea pearls,” she told me.
“I was interested in testing the interest before making it part of my permanent collection of goods.”
Hayes was upbeat about the recovery underway on Coast Village Road. The street is buzzing with an array of great restaurants, stores and businesses, including the re-emergence of the iconic Silverhorn Jewelers.
Meanwhile, the expected partial reopening of the San Ysidro Ranch at the end of the month and the approaching debut of the Rosewood Miramar Beach and the Montecito Club (formerly the Montecito Country Club) are generating a much-needed optimism in the community.
As I mentioned in my previous column on the struggles of the Upper Village, the importance of supporting your local merchants is essential to rebuilding our community and our spirits.
F.Y.I.
On Saturday, the Upper Village Merchants and the Montecito Association are holding a Shop Local event to promote area businesses.
— Judy Foreman is a Noozhawk columnist and longtime local writer and lifestyles observer. She can be contacted at news@noozhawk.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.