Shelf Shop

It seems that ‘pop-up shops’ are the talk of the minute in the retail world. Everyone is doing it, from Chanel to GAP, all over the world brands are trying to capture audiences in ways the standard format cannot, with an exciting spontaneity that shouts exclusivity.

Well, it appears that the trend is spreading.  On a recent weekend visit to see my parents, I turned the corner onto their familiar road to find an empty make-shift table with football stickers and other such collectables scattered across the pavement.  I was later informed that apparently I had just missed out on East Finchley’s very own ‘pop-up shop’.  

The table belonged to a neighbour, Joe, aged 10, selling his old toys to the local kids.  When my parents asked if he was raising money for charity, he answered "Nope. I'm just making a bit of cash."  

Joe has since appeared twice with his make-shift stall so business must be good; is our young entrepreneur the future Branson? Perhaps not, but it certainly reminds us that pop-up shops are not the modern invention of retailers but a trend borrowing from the retailing techniques of the past.

Are we witnessing a 21st century adaptation of the original street peddlers and the beginnings of a new-age market square?

By Siu-lan Choi