Pop-Up Stores Help Brands Pop

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Pop-up stores -- temporary boutiques designed to stay open for a set period of time - are becoming an appealing way for businesses to drum up brand buzz while boosting revenue. It also doesn't hurt that there's an abnormally large amount of vacant real estate to choose from thanks to the weak economy.

"For a small or big store, pop-up retail offers consumers a sense of urgency and human nature responds to that," says Alexandra Sotereanos, a senior manager with retail consultancy McMillan Doolittle in Chicago.

The Gap (GPS) last year opened a pop-up version of France's trendy Colette boutique in one of its Manhattan stores and sold only Colette goods at that location for a month. The U.S. Potato Board opened a four-day store in New York City's Times Square last Thanksgiving that touted the nutritional value of spuds.

It's a concept that's not just for big businesses. New York accessories designer Matthew Waldman this week wrapped up his first pop-up experience, calling the six-week store a "great success."

Waldman launched his Nooka line of watches in December 2005. His products can be found in boutiques in New York, Tokyo, France, the Netherlands and Nordstrom's (JWN) department stores.

When Waldman branched out into belts, wallets and fragrance, he decided a pop-up shop would give him better control of his brand than if he were to sell his goods through an established store. A consultant advising Waldman on the launch suggested Den, a pop-up space run by the Manhattan boutique Odin.

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