Pop Up Grocer
205 BLEEKER STREET
MANHATTAN
In March, Pop Up Grocer opened its permanent
flagship location in Manhattan. Before landing in
the city, the grocer only offered transient "pop-
up" shopping experiences around the country,
operating in stores for a limited time.
The 1,500-square-foot location features
roughly 130 brands and more than 400 new
products. The selection emphasizes emerging
makers with approved, high-quality ingredients
and aesthetically pleasing packaging. The store's
selection rotates to ensure the shop maintains its
explorative energy.
"Right now, we intend to rotate brands every
three months … and with each new set, we will also
retain some products, those that the neighborhood
has demonstrated they would like to rely upon us
for," founder Emily Schildt says. The most recent
rotation occurred earlier this month.
The shelves line the store's perimeter and are
split into sections including: Happy Hour, Boosters
and Blends, Breakfast-ish, Puffs and Crunch,
Freezer, Sweets and Treats, Pantry, and Fridge.
There is also a small seating area. In addition, the
store merchandises non-food items for home needs,
body care, and pet supplies.
In the center of the store are a bakery and
cafe, both of which house brands that rotate out
on a scheduled basis to continue to amplify their
makers.
Since the store first opened, a few categories
have received special attention.
"People seem to be gravitating (as they
typically do) toward nostalgic items that have been
made better, such as cereal and ramen, and items
that are in popular conversation on social media,
but they're experiencing in-person for the first
time, such as luxury strawberries and tinned fish,"
says Shildt.
Being an "advertiser-first" store that prioritizes
brand visibility over sales, Shildt includes that
every brand on the shelf has seen "success" in that
they are getting valuable time with the customer.
The store offers the Greenwich Village
community a destination for better-for-you
products, as well as a place to stop in and enjoy
baked goods or cafe drinks. For visitors from
outside New York, the destination serves mostly as
an emerging and innovative grocery hub.
"We have been delighted to witness that we
continue to serve our typical demographic of elder
Gen Z to young millennials, as well as expanding
our audience to include plenty of folks outside of
that, who are simply curious and conscious about
what they put in and on their bodies," she says.
—G.H.
PHOTOS: ORI HARPAZ
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