Dive Brief:
- Pop Up Grocer, a New York-based traveling pop-up grocery business is opening up shop Feb. 7 in Venice Beach, California, for a one-month run, according to the Los Angeles Times. The shop will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
- The 1,000-square-foot pop-up shop will offer a trendy take on the small grocery store experience, offering fresh baked goods, cold brew, natural food brands and boutique-style decor.
- Pop Up Grocer’s Venice Beach location will also feature a living room and lounge area, and will host after-hours events for the community.
Dive Insight:
According to a recent interview with founder Emily Schildt, the goal of Pop Up Grocer is to create an experience that offers the intimate feel of a boutique with the convenience of a larger retailer in a friendly, inviting atmosphere where shoppers can explore new brands.
The pop-up in Venice Beach will run through March 1, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, with over 150 products ranging in price from two dollars to $120. Each pop-up event is set up in an existing space over five to seven days.
Other future pop-up locations haven’t been formally announced, but Schildt has said there will be additional events in the future in other major cities. The company launched last April with a 10-day pop-up in New York’s Soho neighborhood, and another month-long pop-up in New York followed last September.
The company's website says Pop Up Grocer showcases hundreds of products from natural food brands like Mother Raw, Seedible, Magic Spoon, Farmhouse Culture and Cappello’s Grain Free. Products include ready-to-eat bars, bites, butters, puffs and jerky, among other items.
There is space for more pop-up events in the grocery industry. While they have become trendy in retail, pop-ups are less common among food retailers. Hy-Vee tested the concept last spring in Missouri and Nebraska with 20,000-square-foot pop-up shops dedicated to outdoor and grilling last spring. Brandless also opened a couple of pop-up shops in New York in 2018, though the experiment hasn’t continued.
