An interesting concept caught our eye. Popupspace.com is a new UK-based Web site that has launched to map vacant retail space across the United Kingdom. The site provides real estate agents and landlords the ability to list their properties in a database for those interested in utilizing the vacant space for "pop-up" store concepts.
This is a great idea that has applications in the United States. Considering the vast number of vacant storefronts in metropolitan areas like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, a similar concept would work well here. According to a New York Times Article on May 11, 2009 "As Storefronts Become Vacant, Ads Arrive." The retail vacancy rate in New York City rose to 11.2 percent in the first quarter of 2009, the highest it has been since the early 1990s, according to CBRE Econometric Advisors, a unit of the CB Richard Ellis Group.
Going beyond pop-up concept stores this would work well for digital signage advertising. An active database that mapped traffic patterns and demographics could be an excellent tool for media buyers looking to take their client's campaigns down to street level. Companies such as Inwindow Outdoor, WindowGain, Motomedia, and MonsterMedia have proven that projected storefront advertising is effective. Now all that's needed is someone to tie the vacant space together with advertisers in a single marketplace. Even when the economy eventually recovers, the need for landlords to utilize the storefronts on a temporary basis will still be there. This could be a winning concept for anyone willing to take this on, we would, but we're just too busy. :-)
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