The other day after a long morning of classes, I took the 6 from Astor Place to Spring Street to my dorm. What I was not expecting to find after the train doors opened was a long line of people unable to exit the station. The reason? A Minky Couture blanket truck. Minky Couture, a Utah-Based blanket company, just had their “Minky Couture Takes NYC” events. In addition to a physical location in collaboration with Shopify, the brand announced locations on Instagram where their shipment truck would appear and give free blankets to the first few people in line. While I’m sure those who got their blankets were happy, all of us subway-goers were less-than-pleased.
Living down in SoHo, it feels like I see lines every time I step outside. From makeup to Froyo, it seems like people are willing to stand outside (regardless of weather) to get whatever the latest craze is. It also seems like anyone is capable of starting a trend, even if you put your name on a sweatshirt and pair it with a claw clip ( I’m looking at you Parke). An abundance of these lines are for pop-ups, or as Nicholas Roberts-Moore defines it, “…a temporary retail store designed to operate for a limited period of time (that) allow(s) brands, artists, and businesses to sell products, launch ideas, or test markets without committing to long-term leases.”
Brands utilize pop-ups to garner brand awareness through strategies like limited-edition or exclusive items, free giveaways, and experience-based events. Around 55% of pop-up consumers say that hard-to-find and unique products are their primary motivation for attending events. Just 2 weekends ago, my friend and I went to the OLEHENRIKSEN “Scandiland” pop-up in SoHo. The first lucky few to arrive (which did not include me) were given perks like free lip balms, tote bags, and hats. Still, my friend and I received free Scandinavian Candy and a complimentary makeup bag with a purchase. I was already a fan of their lip balms, so the extra perks were the icing on the cake. I found out about this event like most do, through social media. Accounts like @nyc_forfree on Instagram and websites like https://www.whatisthislinefor.nyc/, bring awareness to events and spread the word. Influencer marketing does a similar thing.
Influencers who promote pop-up events have been proven to grow foot traffic by 2.3x more than normal. Influencers' promotion can create positive brand-recognition, but can also have the opposite effect. A local store owner in Nantucket put up a “no influencers” sign following influencer Paige Lorenze’s brand “Dairy Boy’s” new store, which flooded the small town with massive crowds. Recently, on October 15th-18th, Good American (a denim brand co-owned by Khloe Kardashian), hosted a pop-up in SoHo. Ahead of the public opening of the event, the brand invited content creators to an exclusive Wednesday night preview. A myriad of creators and influencers from micro-influencers to big-named moguls waited for hours in rainy weather, only to discover that the venue was over-capacity, poorly organized, and turned away many invited-guests before entering. Guess the saying that “all attention is good attention” didn’t hold true in this scenario.
The Good American event raises an even bigger question: when people line up for a pop-ups are they there for the product itself or the excitement surrounding it? Speaking from personal experience, even the sight of a line can spark curiosity and feelings of FOMO among passersby. In 2019, when Glossier was at its peak popularity, my mom and I took a trip to SoHo. I was 13 and not especially interested in makeup, so I hadn’t heard of the brand until I spotted a long line dotted with pink umbrellas. My mom and I got in line, unaware of their products or what we would find inside, but after discovering their Balm-Dotcom lip balms, I was hooked and still shop there today. This suggests that a pop-up can do more than just attract an immediate crowd: it can create customers. Brands have found that sales revenue can grow by 35% following pop-up events. Even if the product itself is mediocre, the line and the excitement may be enough to draw people in. But lasting success likely depends on whether the product and experience give them a reason to return. In Good American’s case, the attention was there, but the event left attendees with a different impression of the brand.
Around 84% of retailers have found success with pop ups. The national success, Pop Up Bagels, that is now valued at $300 million, began as a pop-up out of founder Adam Goldberg’s home in Westport CT in 2020. Being from Darien (2 towns over from Westport), I soon heard of the local phenomenon and got online in an attempt to win their version of the Ticketmaster War and secure bagels. Before they had brick-and-mortar locations, bagels were brought to various pop-up locations around the area. My dad and I drove to a neighborhood in Greenwich and got bagels from the trunk of one of the workers' cars. Though it felt somewhat like an illegal drug deal, the bagels were worth it. The online hype locally spread to NYC, and beyond with the help of word-of-mouth, social media, and celebrity investors like Paul Rudd.
Many people, beyond brands, have begun to utilize pop ups for album releases, hobbies, artistic statements, and community-based projects. Singer, Harry Styles, has had his “Together, Together” pop-up store in the East Village for the length of his Madison Square Garden residency. Offering exclusive merch and perks for those who hold its sponsored American Express cards. Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Kanye West, and Jay-Z just to name a few, have also used pop ups to engage in immersive storytelling and mirror the aesthetic of their albums.
As far as the future of pop-ups, it seems like they’re here to stay. As Lauren Schuster puts it, pop ups have moved ”...from (a) novelty marketing stunt to (a) core retail strategy in 2026.” Usually held in major cities from New York to London to Los Angeles, the low cost it takes brands to open these short-term stores (44% of pop-up shops cost less than $5,000 to open), the hype and awareness they bring to companies (or whatever service they’re promoting), and the ability to test new markets without the commitment to long-term leases have made pop-ups a cornerstone of the new wave of modern-marketing strategy.
Guess I’ll just have to persevere through the pop-up pandemonium around me. Whether I’m dodging the crowds or adding to them remains to be seen. I suppose it all depends on what’s popping up.
