The pop-up shop phenomenon has swept the nation, generating buzz, helping local makers build brand awareness and driving sales for big-name retailers. Pop-up shops—also known as “flash retail”—began around 2003 when an experimental retailer showcased an Isaac Mizrahi clothing line for five weeks in a 1500 square foot store in Rockefeller Center. Now, retailers have gotten considerably more innovative with their shops and incorporate goals of giving back to communities and supporting special causes.
Today, you don’t have to travel to a big city like New York to get the pop-up shop experience. You don’t even have to travel to Oklahoma City—you can stay in Choctaw to experience the magic of pop-up shops!
On June 11, a pop-up shop event with 100+ antique, junkers, crafters, and small business owners will take over the Choctaw Creek Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Community members are encouraged to come and support the vendors. The first 100 shoppers that purchase a raffle ticket will receive a basket of goodies from various vendors in the shops.
There will be live music, a line of food trucks, a petting zoo and more. The park is free of admission fees and family-friendly; what better way to support your city than shopping for a great cause?
The money earned by the pop-up shops will benefit the City of Choctaw, and, in turn, will help the community. When community members come out and support the shops, they are supporting their city, and when they support the city, they are making their community a better place to be.
“The park is needing improvements all the time,” explained Ryan Hill, with the City of Choctaw. “We are looking forward to getting the new playground equipment, as well as being able to use the money in whatever area that needs it. It could be planting trees or fixing our walking trails. There is also a big problem with stickers in the grass; families cannot picnic in certain areas because of that, and we’d like to get rid of them.”
The City of Choctaw is hoping to make this is a long-standing relationship with the pop-up shops’ vendors. Not only will there be a show in June, but there is also another in the works for November; this will be unlike any venue the pop-up shops have experienced—it will be inside.
“It actually doesn’t take a whole lot of effort on the city’s end,” said Hill. “We just provide the venue and the cause, and the ladies who run the pop-up shops do all the work that makes this happen. We are really thankful for them.”
For more details on food trucks, bands and the event itself, visit www.choctawcity.org/pop-up-shops, and don’t forget to come support the pop-up shops at the Choctaw Creek Park on June 11.