Can pop-up stores help make Newbury Street cool again?
Emily Isenberg sure hopes so. Her company, Isenberg Projects, was recently hired by Back Bay landlord Jamestown Properties to liven up the street, a place that has become packed with chain stores over the years. One way: installing temporary shops in empty storefronts.
Isenberg’s first effort there, dubbed the “Newbury Block Party,’’ wrapped up last month, after the holiday season. It featured four pop-up stores, in various locations between Clarendon and Dartmouth streets, that all shared a “rugged New Englander’’ theme: Island Creek Oysters, running apparel designer Janji, custom ski builder Parlor, and New England Outerwear. The goal was to bring more local flavor to the street — in a colorful way.
Janji’s emergence was a perfect example. The clothing’s dramatic patterns helped attract shoppers from the street, cofounder Dave Spandorfer said. By the end of the five-week run, it had sold out nearly all of its winter gear such as tights and jackets. Most people who entered had never heard of Janji before or its unique story, Spandorfer said. Formed in 2012, the company will be selling its garb in at least 150 stores nationwide by the end of spring.
For every item sold, Janji gives 10 percent to a nonprofit clean-water project, such as a new drinking well. Spandorfer and his partner, Mike Burnstein, ran together in college and wanted to find a way to turn their passion for the sport into a business and a social mission. Spandorfer said he expects to open another pop-up store in the city around the time of the Boston Marathon in April, and hopes eventually to open a permanent store. He doesn’t have much of a marketing budget, so his goal is to build brand awareness through word-of-mouth in the local running community.
Pop-up stores certainly aren’t new for the street. Online jewelry retailer Gemvara had one about two years ago, and clothing startup Ministry of Supply turned its pop-up shop that opened in mid-2014 into a full brick-and-mortar store.
But Isenberg said she hopes to figure out a way to give shoppers on the street more of a sense of adventure, along the lines of the “Block Party.’’ Her focus won’t just be on pop-up stores, but they’ll play an important role, especially given the number of retail and design startups in Greater Boston that might be interested in temporary locations on the street. It’s also possible that some future pop-up stores could open within existing businesses.
A spokesman for Jamestown Properties said the success of the “Block Party’’ will lead to similar initiatives in 2016, though it’s too soon to know how many pop-up shops will open next.
JON CHESTO
Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jonchesto.
