Last March, Emily Schildt opened Pop Up Grocer on a Bleecker Street corner in the West Village, selling artfully packaged condiments, beverages and other products made by small, emerging brands in a pay-to-play business model.
Customers can buy artisanal hot sauces or zucchini chips from brands like Peepal People and Van Van that pay a fee to be on the shelves.
Typically 150 to 200 brands are on display at a time, and some are replaced on a quarterly basis.
One 27-square-foot space in the West Village, an affluent neighborhood in Manhattan, was recently listed for $5,000 a month.
But some ambitious entrepreneurs are experimenting with business models, like charging shelf fees or selling wholesale to make ends meet.
Persons:
Emily Schildt, Van Van, Ms, Schildt, “ That’s
Organizations:
Peepal
Locations:
Bleecker, West, New York, Manhattan