PopUp Republic

Pop-Ups: The State of the Nation

In the united states, pop-ups can be traced back to Colonial times and then throughout the ensuing centuries. Traveling salesmen went on road trips, stopping in town centers for several days to hawk their wares, then continued onward. Farm stands would spring up around harvest time, with farmers engaging in direct marketing to local consumers. Over the years, even children participated in the pop-up economy, setting up lemonade stands on street corners for a few hours on hot summer days.

But until fairly recently, pop-ups didn’t really have a name, and there were no “pure” pop-ups as we know them today. In 1999, a company called Vacant in Los Angeles developed the concept for pop-up retail. The company began to sell limited edition items, and when the products sold out, it closed the store until a new shipment of items came in, at which time it would open again, albeit temporarily. The success of this concept led Vacant to shut its permanent store and instead open temporary shops at different target destinations. From there, one-off restaurants and supper clubs and one-off events have cropped up, slowly at first, but now at a rapid pace.

These days, pop-ups are practically ubiquitous—if you know where to look. The first “pop-up chef” of this generation is Ludo Lefebvre, the self-proclaimed “Impresario of Pop-Up Dining,” who opened a roving secret dining concept in various locations throughout Los Angeles (he is also of The Taste fame, serving ...