The Pop Up Restaurant

The Pop Up revolution is growing by the day.  Among all the temporary shops and events, the pop up restaurant is increasingly becoming one of the most exiting alternatives to its more permanent counterpart.

We all love to eat out and many of us have favourite restaurants that we visit time and time again.  But it can easily get a little boring and that’s where the pop up restaurant comes in.  Temporary restaurants are not exactly a new phenomenon.  Food stalls and festivals have been around for years.  Some independent restaurateurs even travel around the country or their own town, going where the customers are.

A popular pop up restaurant in Brighton for example is the Trolls Pantry.  They sell gourmet burgers made with locally sourced ingredients and their ethos derives from the street food trend, where it is thought that people should be able to sample great food on the move, wherever they may be.  Their growing popularity means that they have recently taken root in a local pub.

As with the excitement that surrounds pop up and empty shops, you really could take your pop up restaurant anywhere, in doors or out, as long as you have the correct permissions, of course!  A good place to start, once you have your location sorted, would be to speak to your local council about obtaining a food and hygiene safety certificate and trading licence.

If you are in the catering industry or you are planning an event where a pop up restaurant would fit in, we at Popupspace often come across available property with catering facilities.  Alternatively, if it’s an outside space you’re after we can help you negotiate with landlords, owners and local authorities with our planning and pop up location sourcing services.  All in all, these restaurants are a great way to show off your culinary skills to a new audience every day, so why not get started today?

 

Sarah James, Popupspace

Chelsea Flower Show – the Original Pop Up Event

With the warmer weather finally deciding to grace us with its presence, soon the original Pop Up event, the Chelsea Flower Show will be opening its doors once again this May.

When many people think of Pop Up Shops the image that immediately springs to mind is one of food stalls, craft sellers, artists and clothing companies – which are all very popular parts of the ever growing industry.  But have you ever thought of running your own Pop Up gardening event like the RHS Flower Show?

The Chelsea Flower show has been hosting a beautiful array of hundreds of show gardens in the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital every year since 1913 – that’s 100 years ago!  But this show is not just an event, it’s also big business.  There are hundreds of exhibitors and stalls sharing the grounds, selling flowers, plants and other gardening must haves.

Perhaps you are a keen gardener or are part of a group that needs a creative outlet.  If you have an idea for a Pop Up event that would capture the imagination of the public this could also be an excellent opportunity to start selling your wares as a business.

The Chelsea Flower Show began as a way for gardeners and landscapers to show what they can do.  Over the years it has grown into an event that we can all gain inspiration from, both in a creative way and an entrepreneurial one.

So if you have ever thought about organising your own Pop Up Shop but have not been able to decide what to do, then why not gain inspiration from other successful events like this one.  Once you have got your plans together head over to the Popupspace List a Requirement page and make your Pop Up event happen.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show runs from 21 – 25 May 2013.

Sarah James, Popupspace

Digital photography pop up shop

A photo studio with a twist is being planned by youngsters on the Retail Ready People programme after their intensive three-day residential course.

During the course the volunteers, aged 16 – 25, heard from retail and pop up experts about developing business plans.  They brainstormed ideas for a pop up shop, which will open for the month of May 2013 in Rochdale.  Author of ‘Pop Up Business for Dummies’, Dan Thompson, was among the experts on hand to speak to the volunteers.

The volunteers believe that the digital photography studio will inject some fun into Rochdale’s high street, with visitors encouraged to dress up in a range of fancy dress and historic costumes (all provided).  The photos will then be available as framed prints, T-shirts or mugs.

Retail Ready People is run by vInspired and the Retail Trust, with support from the Empty Shops Network.

Cocomaya pops up at Heathrow

Chocolatier and artisan baker Cocomaya is opening a pop up shop in time for Easter at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5.  The shop will sell a range of delicious morsels such as cakes, pastries, sandwiches, chocolate bars and truffles alongside hot and cold drinks.

The pop up space within the terminal is designed to bring small artisan brands into the airport. Cocomaya is the first retailer to launch int he space and will be open until the summer.

Pop up housing advice shop

Coventry law centreThe Cathedral Lanes Shopping Centre has been home to the most recent pop up in Coventry – an advice shop to answer questions on debt, money management, energy saving and of course benefits as changes to the current system are likely to leave some out of pocket.

Janet Gurney, Welfare and Benefits Adviser at the Coventry Law Centre, said: “Disabled people are particularly hard-hit by the changes. Despite this, many people are still uninformed about the potential changes to their benefits. Even today, some of the people coming in don’t know anything about the changes and are quite shocked at some of the implications.” She added that a lot of people in low-paid work do not realise that they too could see their benefits cut.

“We know that it’s just going to be dire. Some people will be very seriously affected,” she said. The shop will be open from 10am-3pm until tomorrow.

Steam

steamSteam, a new pop up restaurant in London’s Covent Garden, opened for the day promising the holy grail of dieters everywhere – a calorie neutral meal! Between courses, diners were invited to partake in stretching classes, complete dining workouts and even vibrating seat pads (which apparently encourage your body to use up calories).

You may assume that a calorie neutral meal would be less then appetizing, but according to Steam you would be wrong! Frederick Forster of The Boundary was the chef hired to create the menu which included scallops, fillet of beef and chorizo all cooked using only steam to keep the calorie levels as low as possible.

High tech kitchen equipment makers Miele were the brains behind the 13th March pop up, which they launched to promote their range of steam-cooking appliances.

Pop up boutique in Potters Bar

willow foundationTwo pubs have raised £1,500 with a pop up boutique at The Brookmans Pub in Potters Bar by selling donated items from staff and customers of The White Horse in Hatching Green in aid of The Willow Foundation.

Lauren Bailey, who organised the sale, said: “The community were so supportive of the event and I’d like to thank everyone who played a part.  The Willow Foundation is an amazing local charity which does so much to support young adults living with life-threatening illnesses.”

1D World pop up shop

World famous pop group One Direction have announced that their fans will soon get the chance to enter their very own ‘1D World’ in their brand new pop up shop – the first to open in the UK. The 5,000 sq ft store is in Leeds and will open on 23rd March, selling exclusive merchandise.

There will be special offers and competitions run in branch and the shop is expecting fans to arrive from all over the country.

The machine that is the 1D World brand has already seen thousands of fans pass though its stores in worldwide locations and this shop in Trinity Leeds Shopping Centre is sure to appeal to the loyal British fan base.

Emergency measures to reverse the decline of London’s high streets?

London AssemblyLondon Assembly’s Economy Committee has suggested a number ideas to reverse the decline in London’s high streets, including renegotiating rents and slowing the spread of pawnbrokers and betting shops.

The Assembly said that in 2000, a third of retail spending took place in out of town centres or on the Internet. By 2011 this had increased to 42% – and the number of empty shops in London has increased in the last two years by 5% to 3,400. The report also warns the vacancy increase is contributing to the decline, discouraging shoppers and leading to the closure of other retailers who might otherwise have survived.

The Committee has called for London-wide support to renegotiate rents, a new register of owners of vacant shops so landlords can be easily traced and pop up and interim uses for empty shops.

Andrew Dismore, Chair of the Economy Committee, said: “Our traditionally diverse and interesting high streets are blighted by the number of empty shops which are a deterrent to customers, discourage further investment, and create an air of decline.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said more than £250m was being invested to help bring vacant properties back into use, revitalise shop fronts and to support trade and generate jobs.

“The Mayor welcomes this report and will continue to work with the boroughs, government and business groups to help unlock the economic potential of London’s high streets,” added the spokesperson.

Made in Northamptonshire still going strong

Made in NorthamptonshireTrading for just over three months, the Made in Northamptonshire pop up store in St Giles Street, Northampton is still going strong. Helen Senogles, who oversees the project, explained: “We opened two weeks before Christmas and we have the lease for nine months. It is a showcase for all local artists, designers and crafts people.”

a\The project has been supported by a range of groups which includes Creative Northants, the University of Northampton, the Business Improvement district and the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership

Helen said: “Creative Northants put out an advert two weeks before Christmas and we have had more than 200 artists and designers already. We took that down to 40 for the first month and since then we have taken on more artists from across the county – Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby – and they have all sorts of skills, from contemporary to traditional. There are so many different artists and so many different people producing things in the county.”

She added: “We had an amazing Christmas and smashed every target and, now we are growing to accommodate different targets, we are holding drop-in sessions with Creative Northants. We have until August and then we will have to see how the project develops from there.”