Candler Park is Becoming a Hot Bed for Great Pop-Up Shops

Pop-up shops and events are trending in Candler Park as is evident in Eat Me Speak Me chef dinners at Gato Bizco, the Indie Craft Experience Holiday Pop-Up Shop that opens November 1st, and the varied pop-up classes recently being held at the Park Realty office. The Candler Park village offers attractive retail store fronts that are ideal for hosting pop-up shops and events.

A pop-up retail shop or event is a short-term, temporary event that is “here today and gone tomorrow” but can create a long lasting impression with customers, according to shopify.com which specializes in “making commerce better for everyone.” Pop-up shops and events create tangible, “offline” brand awareness for online businesses.

When Drew Jackson and John Morgan opened their store-front office for Park Realty, they didn’t want to just be a typical real estate brokerage office. As Jackson said, “We want to take this great real estate and give it back to the street” and use it as a space for the community. Morgan added, “I loved Donna Van Gogh’s in this location… what can we do to be a gathering space like that?” One answer has been using the space for family and kid-themed pop-up classes, such as Family Yoga classes offered by Solstice Yoga, experiential Story Time produced by the Rhen’s Nest Toy Shop, and kid cooking classes taught by Candler Park resident, Chef Silvia Medrano-Edelstein of Word of Mouth Cooking.

Chef Silvia’s first kids’ cooking classes were held in October at Park Realty and taught kids how to make savory fall butternut squash gnocchi with garnishes and sauces such as flowering herbs, toasted pumpkin seed oil and rosemary infused balsamic reduction. “You don’t have to dumb down food to kids,” said Chef Silvia. Promoted on social media and sold out within 24 hours, the classes resulted in kids aged 5 – 12 years old making gnocchi and “plating International James Beard level plates.” Chef Silvia’s next pop-up kids cooking class is scheduled for Nov 12 at Park Realty and will focus on fancy drink making such as chai pumpkin tea, tropical drinks, and fun hot cider. Kids will learn the basics of flavor layering and garnish. Watch for news of the December kids’ cooking class that will focus on kiddie fondues with various dipping breads from Candler Park restaurants such as pizza, biscuits, and tortillas!

Adult-focused pop-up classes also are trending in Candler Park Village. Park Realty is hosting an adult cooking class featuring Persian and Indian dishes for 16 people on November 4th. Jackson and Morgan are contemplating a pop-up barber shop and sports viewing gatherings. Another partially formulated idea for 2017 is an international Gastro Trek involving many Candler Park stores to attract neighbors and visitors to the village for mixing, mingling and sampling of international foods.

In the meantime, watch Next Door and the Park Realty Facebook page for announcements of future classes and events. If your business needs a space for a pop-up shop, contact Park Realty at info@parkrealty.com.