Buffalo – Today Mayor Byron W. Brown, Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC), Buffalo Place and Working for Downtown kicked off the 2019 Holiday Edition of Queen City Pop-Up at The Shops at Market Arcade, located at 617 Main Street. Queen City Pop-Up is downtown’s first pop-up retail program designed to encourage retail activity along Main Street by creating new “pop-up” shops that feature local retailers. The project activates empty storefronts by filling them with retailers on a short-term basis, free of charge. Sinatra & Company Real Estate has agreed to provide the free retail space for Queen City Pop-Up participants this holiday season.
“As we continue to foster an inclusive and equitable City of Opportunity for all, I am pleased to support the Queen City Pop-Up program which continues our efforts to further strengthen local small businesses, while attracting more shoppers to downtown Main Street, one of Buffalo’s great shopping corridors,” said Mayor Brown.
A Request for Proposals was issued in September to identify local retailers interested in participating in the 2019 Holiday Edition of Queen City Pop-Up. A selection committee, made up of representatives from the Queen City Pop-Up partner organizations, reviewed the proposals and determined the program winners. Five local retailers were selected to participate in this cycle:
- Bearded Buffalo
- The Black Bohemian
- Blessings of the Bling
- Buffalo Women’s Consortium
- City of Light Publishing
These retailers offer a wide array of items including beard oils; men’s skin care products and gift sets; bath and body products; scented candles; fashion jewelry; handbags and men’s accessories; artisan crafted home goods, including hand painted and upholstered furniture; Buffalo themed books; calendars; ornaments and other holiday gifts.
The Queen City Pop-Up program transforms empty storefronts into vibrant retail spaces that attract shoppers and businesses to downtown Buffalo. The goal of the program is to inspire participating retailers
to locate their businesses along downtown Main Street by allowing them to set up shop, rent free, for a 2-month period to test their retail concepts.
Of the 41 retailers who have completed the Queen City Pop-Up program since its inception, several Queen City Pop-Up graduates have opened permanent stores on Main Street: Rust Belt Love, Yar Mo’s Muse, MMW Style Studio, Buffalo Barkery and most recently, Artisan Jewelry Shop Bflo Boho, which is now open in the Market Arcade Building following a successful run with Queen City Pop-Up. Other program graduates have located in shops off of Main Street, including Ten Thousand Villages on Elmwood Avenue, Phenominal Xpressions which has recently expanded along Hertel Avenue, as well as Willow’s Breeze, which will soon join Kissed by the Sun Spices and Najah Sauces with shops in the Broadway Market.
Brandye Merriweather, BUDC Vice President of Downtown Development says, “We are excited to announce our next round of Queen City Pop-Up retailers. Not only do they offer an incredible selection of holiday gifts, but their energy and collaboration are helping to further energize retail in Buffalo.”
Queen City Pop-Up: 2019 Holiday Edition will run from now through Christmas Eve. Store hours are Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from noon - 4:00 p.m. For more information contact Brandye Merriweather, BUDC Vice President of Downtown Development at 716-362-8373 or go to www.buffalourbandevelopment.com, www.buffaloplace.com or www.workingfordowntown.org.
