Pop-Up Project

More Activated Spaces Coming To Downtown

April 24, 2014 By Dayton Most Metro Leave a Comment

Three new downtown businesses are preparing to host grand openings in conjunction with the May 9 Urban Nights event in downtown Dayton.

Catapult Creative, 131 N. Ludlow St. (Talbott Tower): Catapult Creative provides marketing, advertising, branding, design, web development, video and online services. They have helped grow small- to medium-sized businesses and organizations through branding, expressive design and communication expertise. Though Catapult is a recent venture for the four founding partners, combined they have over 20 years of experience in branding, advertising and marketing.
Confetti, 42 W. Fifth St. (Ludlow Place): Confetti is a modern stationery and card boutique. The shop will offer contemporary and vintage-style cards, stationery, upscale party supplies and decor, and small gifts. In addition to the retail component, Confetti will offer workshops for party-related topics, such as card marking, do-it-yourself décor, holiday wrapping, calligraphy and more. Customers also may host small parties and events in the space.
Studio Meco, 46 W. Fifth St. (Ludlow Place): Studio Meco will feature art by Melody Cole Gates and a small, select group of local artists. The gallery will feature mostly African American figuratives, portraits, landscapes, florals, abstracts and typography in various media such as paintings, drawings, sculpture, jewelry and pottery. Studio Meco also plans to produce professional fine art prints, greeting cards, calendars, journals, coffee mugs, screen print T-shirts and tote bags for special occasions.

The new shops are part of the sixth phase of the Pop-Up Project, part of an initiative to fill downtown storefronts called Activated Spaces. This program builds success of the first five phases of the Pop-Up Project, launched in November 2011, to provide potential business owners the opportunity for shorter leases at below-market rates as a way for them to jump-start their businesses and contribute to the vibrancy of downtown Dayton. Since it was started, the project has launched 14 shops (11 of which are still open), filled 13,113 square feet of previously vacant space and created 30 jobs. Unique to this round of Pop-Up Shops is Catapult Creative, which is the first Pop-Up Office Space project. “The Pop-Up Shop program was so successful for the retail shops that we quickly ran out of move-in-ready, street-level spaces,” explained Pop-Up project leader, Elise Huelskamp. “Now we are including vacant, move-in-ready office space in downtown Dayton. We’re confident Activated Spaces can showcase the available amenities and potential for business owners to ‘do their thing downtown’ alongside hundreds of other businesses.”

Pop-Up Shops from the previous phases of the project include Beaute Box, 116 W. Fifth St.; Vintage Barber Shop, 110 W. Fifth St.; Peace on Fifth, 234 Dutoit St.; All Pilates, 27 S. Saint Clair St.; and two stores at 16 Brown St., Spice Paradise and Hicks’ Barber Shop & Shave Parlor. In addition, two shops have expanded to new locations at least twice the size of their original Pop-Up Shop locations: American π, 41 S. St. Clair St., and Sew Dayton, 261 Wayne Ave.

The Pop-Up Project is driven by volunteers from the young professional organizations Generation Dayton and UpDayton with support from the Downtown Dayton Partnership, the City of Dayton, the City of Dayton Neighborhood Mini-Grant program and community volunteers. Activated Spaces is part of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan, a strategic blueprint for the future of downtown.

Visit www.activatedspaces.org or e-mail [email protected] for more information about Activated Spaces.

Activated Spaces Pop-Up Project Seeking Entrepreneurs For Downtown

January 23, 2014 By Dayton Most Metro Leave a Comment

Activated Spaces, an initiative to fill downtown storefronts, is accepting applications for temporary retail and service businesses to open downtown this fall as part of the sixth phase of its Pop-up Project. The project matches business owners and entrepreneurs with downtown property owners who have first-floor storefront space available for occupancy.

Interested retailers should fill out an application, which can be downloaded at www.activatedspaces.org, and email it to Jen Cadieux at [email protected]. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, February 14. Tenants will be selected the week of March 3^rd, and retailers must be ready to open no later than Friday, May 9, in time for the spring Urban Nights.

Lease lengths will range from three to six months. The spaces will have varying lease rates, but will be leased below market value. Activated Spaces volunteers will connect retailers with commercial property owners, help make the space move-in ready, and promote the business during such events as First Friday and Urban Nights. Selected businesses will negotiate leasing terms directly with the selected property owner, but flexibility for the tenant is a priority.

Activated Spaces volunteers hope to build on the success of the Pop-Up Project’s first five phases. Nine of the businesses that have opened as part of the Pop-Up Project are still open: Beaute Box, 116 W. Fifth St.; Peace on Fifth, 234 Dutoit St.; American Pi, 41 S. St. Clair St.; Vintage Barbershop, 110 W. Fifth St.; Sew Dayton, 261 Wayne Ave..; Green Baby, 31 S. St. Clair St.; All Pilates, 27 S. St. Clair St.; Spice Paradise, 16 Brown St.; and Hicks’ Barber Shop, 16 Brown St.

Commercial property owners interested in offering space to Pop-Up Shop owners should contact Jen Cadieux at 937-224-1518. Participating property owners are on the Activated Spaces website. Once a match is made, a limited amount of money is available to be distributed at the discretion of the Activated Spaces team for such purposes as offsetting utility costs, making cosmetic improvements to the space or other necessities for making the space operational.

The Pop-Up Project is driven by volunteers from the young professional organizations Generation Dayton and UpDayton with support from the Downtown Dayton Partnership, the City of Dayton, the City of Dayton Neighborhood Mini-Grant program and community volunteers. Activated Spaces is part of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan, a strategic blueprint for the future of downtown. Those interested in volunteering with Activated Spaces should e-mail [email protected].

Downtown Dayton Partnership Wins National Award for Pop-Up Project

October 21, 2013 By Dayton937 Leave a Comment

The International Downtown Association (IDA) awarded the Downtown Dayton Partnership a 2013 Downtown Pinnacle Award at the IDA World Congress, held in New York City earlier this month. The DDP received the award in the economic and business development category for Activated Spaces’ Pop-Up Project. The DDP supports the project, which is managed by volunteers from the young professional organizations UpDayton and Generation Dayton.

“The Activated Spaces volunteers, who represent the next generation of leaders in our community, have done an amazing job with the Pop-Up Project,” said Sandy Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership. “We are so very thankful for their hard work, which has made a significant contribution to making our downtown a more vibrant place.”

Since the inception of the Pop-Up Project in fall 2011, it has launched 11 shops (nine of which are still open), filled 11,326 square feet of previously vacant space and created 24 jobs. Two new retailers, Spice Paradise and Hicks’ Barber Shop, who share space at 16 Brown St. in the Oregon District, recently opened as part of the project’s fifth phase.

“The Downtown Dayton Partnership received this prestigious award for demonstrating excellence in downtown management,” said David Downey, IDA president and CEO. “Each year, the IDA Awards Jury honors the very best programs and projects in each category to recognize great work and set the standard for best practice in our industry.”

The Downtown Dayton Partnership’s website, www.downtowndayton.org, has a complete list of downtown businesses, as well as a list of business resources, arts and cultural amenities, a dining guide, parking map, and much more. Follow the Downtown Dayton Partnership on Facebook to keep up with downtown events and news. Smartphone users can find places, events, parking and more with Find It Downtown Mobile: mobile.downtowndayton.org.

New Pop-Up Shops to Open On Urban Nights

September 5, 2013 By Dayton937 Leave a Comment

Two new businesses will hold soft openings during Urban Nights downtown on Friday, Sept. 20, as part of the fifth phase of the Pop-Up Project, part of an initiative to fill downtown storefronts called Activated Spaces.

Spice Paradise is a retail spice store, specializing in spices and food from around the world. Products will include chutneys, pickles, chocolates and other pre-packaged food. The store also will feature easy-to-cook meals to go. Spice Paradise will be located in the Oregon District at 16 Brown St., formerly occupied by The Record Gallery and Amore.

Hicks’ Barber Shop is a traditional barber shop and shave parlor owned by James Hicks, aka “The Bearded Barber.” Hicks will specialize in a razor-fading technique and also sell his own signature beard oil. Hicks’ Barber Shop will be occupying the former Sew Dayton space at 16 Brown St., right next to Spice Paradise.

The opening of Spice Paradise and Hicks’ Barber Shop builds on the success of the Pop-Up Project’s first four phases. The project was launched in November 2011, and shops opened during subsequent phases in May 2012, September 2012 and May 2013. Two of the initial three businesses in the pilot still are thriving: Beaute Box, 116 W. Fifth St., and Peace on Fifth, 508 E. Fifth St.

Still going strong from the second, third and fourth phases of the project are: American π, at its new expanded location on 41 S. Saint Clair St.; Vintage Barber Shop, 110 W. Fifth St.; Sew Dayton, expanding to 261 Wayne Ave. with a target open date of Oct. 1; Green Baby, 31 S. Saint Clair St.; and All Pilates, 27 S. Saint Clair St.

The Pop-Up Project is driven by volunteers from the young professional organizations Generation Dayton and UpDayton with support from the Downtown Dayton Partnership and other community volunteers. The project is a strategic effort to fill vacant street-level space and spur interest in opening a business downtown that’s part of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan, a strategic blueprint for the future of downtown.

Since the inception of the program in fall 2011, Activated Spaces’ Pop-Up Project has launched 11 shops (nine of which are still open), filled 11,326 square feet of previously vacant space and created 24 jobs.

“The Pop-Up Shops have helped enliven downtown while building on growing momentum for the center city,” said Tom Razauskas, who owns the building housing Beaute Box and Vintage Barbershop. “It has been refreshing to work with volunteers and business owners who really believe in downtown and are excited about its future.”

“Activated Spaces’ Pop-Up Project is working to add vibrancy to downtown through local retail businesses,” said Elise Huelskamp, Pop-Up Project volunteer chair. “We’re providing potential business owners the opportunity for shorter leases at below-market rates as a way for them to jumpstart their businesses in hopes it will convert into long-term success.”

“This project also supports local, creative entrepreneurs as they take a risk and test out their business concepts while bringing renewed life to downtown storefronts,” said Scott Murphy, immediate past chair of UpDayton and Activated Spaces volunteer. “Visitors who support these Pop-Up Shops will help spur a more permanent retail environment in our downtown ― the next step in downtown revitalization.”

Visit www.activatedspaces.org or e-mail [email protected] for more information about Activated Spaces or to volunteer.