Pop-up retail shops are popping up everywhere.

We’re talking about those stores that show up for a brief period, only to disappear into the void once the time period is over. A good example are Halloween shops – they pop up in September, only to disappear in November. Fireworks shops also fit the bill.

If you want to start a pop-up store, here are give quick tips:

  • Decide your store’s purpose
  • and write your plan. Think about what kind of pop-up store you want
  • to open. Once you’ve decided what you want your pop-up store to sell, jot down a
  • plan. Your plan should include how long you want to “pop-up” for, how much money
  • you need, and how many workers you’ll need.
  • Shop for a
  • location. You can find a location by going online at popupinsider.com, checking out Craigslist or even taking a
  • walk through local retail centers to look for vacant shop spaces.
  • Get competing lease
  • contracts. Once you’ve narrowed down a few locations, ask the landlords
  • or property managers for copies of the lease. Look at each lease and read the
  • fine print. Make sure that you can lease the property for the time period you
  • want to. Also, make sure the lease doesn’t preclude you from running the type of
  • business that you want to operate.
  • Check local zoning
  • laws. If the activity you want to run is forbidden at the location that
  • you want to use, then what’s the point in signing the lease? Make sure you check
  • your city’s zoning ordinances before signing a lease for a pop-up space.
  • Consider short-term employees. If you’ll be running a temporary shop, it might be wise to
  • consider hiring short-term or temporary workers.

Opening a pop-up business presents many of the same challenges as operating a full time business. Have a look at some of our resources below on starting a business.

Related Resources:

  • How to Start a Pop-Up Business in Chicago (The Chicago
  • Employment Law Blog)
  • Starting a
  • Business (FindLaw)
  • A permanent trend of pop-up shops (Houston
  • Chronicle)

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