Pop-ups. They are popping up all over Lansing these days from food events to retail and art markets. They are fun and trendy, have an interesting vibe and bring new experiences to area residents, but they offer more than that. For budding entrepreneurs and creatives, pop-ups provide a low-risk opportunity to experiment with an idea and gauge if there’s enough interest for it to stand on its own.
Ramen, Anyone?
One area pop-up project creating some buzz is
Supu Sugoi, a series of Japanese ramen events created by Dominic Cochran, his wife Mai Sasaki-Cochran and friend Steve Swart. Last year the Cochrans spent time in Japan, traveling the country and eating lots of ramen. They developed a real passion for the cuisine and knew they wanted to bring it to Lansing.
“The decision was easy,” says Cochran. “It started with a lot of conversations.” The first, with Zane Vicknair,
Golden Harvest owner. They told him about their travels and the excellent food. When Cochran suggested they create a ramen dinner at Golden Harvest for family and friends, Vicknair immediately said ‘yes.’ But rather than host a family affair, they held a ticketed public event and more than 50 people attended. Their second event, at
Midtown Brewing Company, had 70 guests and the third, at the Avenue Café, drew nearly 200.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Cochran says. So positive, the group now has to decide what will come next. The fourth and final event of the series was on Feb. 3 at
Hannah’s Koney Island, and after that, they aren’t sure. “The sky’s the limit,” says Cochran, “We are still figuring out our future options.”
Super Fancy
Lansing’s
REO Town is no stranger to the pop-up concept. Events such as their annual Thrift Store Gala and Burlesque Extravaganza, which started as a pop-up, and REO Eats, a once monthly food truck rally held during the summer months, have been very successful.
“We are in a weird space right now,” says Ryan Wert, REO Town Commercial Association executive director. “On the main drag, essentially all of the space is either full, accounted for or needs serious rehab. It’s presented a lot of opportunities to do things like pop-ups, because everything is so influx. Our businesses are so new, that they are willing to take chances,” he says.
Their upcoming
Super Fancy pop-up is the perfect example. A collaboration between REO Town, the
Robin Theatre,
Good Truckin’ Diner and
Saddleback Barbeque, Super Fancy is a two-night culinary event being held at the theatre over Valentine’s Day weekend.
Super Fancy began around an event idea that Wert and his wife Megan had over a year ago, when Good Truckin’ hadn’t yet moved into REO Town. The plan: to temporarily takeover the empty diner space-- transforming it into a “fancy restaurant,” but to serve diner food. Before the idea got off the ground, however, Good Truckin’ Diner moved in and then Saddleback arrived on the scene. Conversations started happening, Wert shared his Super Fancy plan and everyone was on board, with one change. They decided to go Super Fancy all the way—with a nine-course fixed menu designed for couples. The new Super Fancy has two rounds of seating each night, one at 6 p.m. and one at 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $80 per couple, include two adult beverages and both nights are nearly sold out.
Around the Corner
Food events by their very nature, make for great pop ups, as people love to gather around food. However, retail experiments work their own pop-up magic, and are gaining in popularity. Bradly Rakowski, owner of
Bradly’s Home and Garden, began his business as a pop up in Old Town’s
Absolute Gallery four years ago. “I started out in the back corner with seven collections,” Rakowski says. He paid rent for the space, and helped out Absolute’s owner, Kathy Holcomb, on the weekends. “There was a mutual benefit,” he says. “I was there to help her, and she was there to help me.”
The pop-up was a success, and 16 months later, Rakowski opened his own shop just up the street. His business continued to grow, and a little over a year later, he moved again, opening his current location at 117 Grand River. “Starting as a pop-up really helped me get a taste of what was selling and who my clientele was,” he says.
His experience was so positive, he decided to pay it forward, offering Celeste Saltzman, owner of the clothing boutique
Retail Therapy, a corner in the back of his store. Saltzman featured a small collection of her boutique clothing and accessories while waiting to open her new location on Turner St. later this month.
To Market
While becoming a permanent business, is the goal of many pop-up ventures, some entrepreneurs are in no hurry to settle down. Debbie Carlos and Amalia Boukos, enjoy the movable aspect of their
River City MRKT pop up, which has traveled to four locations since its start. “The original concept focused on bringing more handmade, modern goods to town,” says Boukos. “We wanted to do this through a one-day event where we brought a couple dozen, carefully selected Michigan makers together for a market.”
The concept worked, kicking off in REO Town’s
AA Creative Corridor and has since taken on different forms, including kiosks with curated collections at Old Town’s
Art Feast and REO Town’s
Art Attack and a month-long pop-up holiday store at REO Town’s Robin Theatre.
Both Carlos and Boukos have been more than pleased with the outcome and want to keep River City MRKT on the move. “For now we are happy to continue being a pop-up retail space or a one-day craft market,” says Boukos. “It allows us to continue experimenting with new spaces, new talent and new collaborations.”
Team Spirit
While all of these pop ups have had individual success, their creators agree that an overall openness by Lansing business owners has been a key component. As Rakowski notes, pop-up partnerships are smart for businesses because they draw in new clientele. “It creates a really great energy,” he says. “And it brings new experiences to people who don’t know about the area or your shop.”
Cochran points out: “Every single restaurant owner we spoke with was very generous, and completely saw the benefit. They weren’t thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m helping this other restaurant that’s going to be my competition,’” he says. “They’re only helping the food scene in general. It’s a testament to the Lansing area and everybody having that team spirit.”
Building partnerships in the community and exploring business opportunities without breaking the bank, makes pop ups the perfect recipe for boosting the economy and creating a more exciting entertainment and shopping scene in greater Lansing. As Boukos says, “One of the most attractive aspects of a pop-up model is that it can be fresh and exciting. Pop-ups are also much lower risk in comparison to opening a retail shop or restaurant.”
That lower risk, along with the positive community response, make pop ups a great business model. They add vibrancy to the Lansing landscape and offer an element of surprise to the entertainment scene for area residents.
“I think the response for things like this is so overwhelming because Lansing is ready to stop being static,” Wert says. “Obviously it’s great to have restaurants and bars that are there all the time. There is no argument against that, but to have special things going on all the time is great.”
---
Dawn Gorman is a freelance writer for Capital Gains.
Photos ©
Dave Trumpie
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of
Trumpie Photography.