Year Long Pop-Up Will Help Business Owners Reach South Side Consumers

Year Long Pop-Up Will Help Business Owners Reach South Side Consumers

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce has partnered with 37 Oaks to develop the Artisan Collective which will soon be opening at 1750 E. 71st St. and will serve as a year round pop-up shop in the community. The goal is to help small business owners expand their reach and grow their businesses while providing South Shore residents with the opportunity to shop locally.

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce operates with a mission of advancing commercial interests in South Shore, promoting business ethics, expanding the range of goods and services, and attracting and sustaining new business in the South Shore community, according to the South Shore Chamber of Commerce website.

37 Oaks is an organization that provides retail consulting for growing retailers, brands and economic development organizations, according to the 37 Oaks website.

“The South Shore Chamber of Commerce and 37 Oaks connected because South Shore is evolving and they have a lot of opportunities there especially with retail,” said Terrand Smith, founder and CEO of 37 Oaks.

One retail opportunity that currently exists in South Shore is the growing number of entrepreneurs that already have brands and products that they are selling out of their homes or online. Also a growing number of outside businesses are beginning to take interest in the buying power of the community.

The second retail opportunity that exists is the communities vacant storefronts which can easily serve as new homes for interested businesses that find success through the Artisian Collective, according to Smith.

“We want to get those retailers that are in their homes and selling from their homes and online into storefronts along with brands that want to expand and really target the South Shore market,” said Smith.

The Artisan Collective is a unique pop-up model in that it will operate year round. Most pop-up shops only last for about three months, according to Smith.

“It’s year-round so we can have different cohorts or groups of brands that can come in every 8 to 12 weeks and sell their products, understand the market, and get customer feedback. We will also have an overlay of educational curriculum that teaches them how to develop their retail acumen and that’s really what these cohorts will be designed to do,” said Smith.

The brands and vendors that are represented in the Artisan Collective will be changing regularly and at any given time there will be a number of business and products available.

“There will be multiple brands and multiple vendors in this space, it won’t just be one vendor, it will be multiple. So we will be looking for different categories like clothing, beauty, art, accessories and there will be a collection of them there,” said Smith. “We are trying to create this new concept and this new model that will really help revitalize our areas.”

For more information about the Artisan Collective and to learn about selling at the pop-up call 773-955- 9508.

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