Original Article By: St. Louis Business Journal
Five finalists – including a luxury shoe brand and a plant-based skincare business – have been named finalists in Pop Local, a competition in which one entrepreneur can win a rent-free storefront space for three months and a design stipend for their concept.
Edwards Realty Co., a property management, investment and development firm and owner and operator of The Boulevard mixed-use center in Richmond Heights, conducts the Pop Local program. The initiative is aimed to promote local entrepreneurship and create new opportunities for small businesses in the St. Louis area, according to company officials. The Pop Local program began in 2021, when local apparel company Series Six won the inaugural competition.
The five finalists were announced Tuesday from over 75 applications received by the July 8 deadline. “There is incredible creativity and innovation within the St. Louis community, and we’re excited to see such interesting small businesses emerging in the region,” Edwards Realty President Ramzi Hassan said in the release.
The winner of this year’s Pop Local will receive three months of free rent to test a brick-and-mortar space at The Boulevard, which Edwards Realty says offers the small business increased visibility and access to sales and center-wide events. The winning emerging brand can test their concept in a 1,380-square-foot, “premium, light-filled retail space” within The Boulevard complex during October, November and December, one of the year’s busiest shopping seasons, the real estate firm said in a press release.
The Pop Local winner also will receive a $3,500 stipend “to help turn their vision into a reality” inside their space, as well as marketing support to bring in foot traffic, officials said.
The public can participate in selecting the Pop Local winner by voting on the program’s website from Tuesday to Aug. 22. The winner is expected to be announced at the end of August and to move to The Boulevard in October, officials said.
This year’s Pop Local finalists are:
- Cynthia Richard: A family-owned luxury shoe brand, focused on high-end women’s fashion sneakers.
- LoveLaunch: An online boutique through which a small group of designers sell high-quality clothing and accessories.
- Reloved Vintage: A clothing retailer specializing in a curated collection of vintage denim, basics and accessories.
- Sugarcoat Home: A specialty home goods, furniture and design services brand that offers vintage pieces alongside new decor.
- Whip it Goods Skincare: A growing skincare business producing plant-based skincare products that are toxin-free and filler-free and harness the benefits of mango butter. Its products include whipped body butters and sugar scrubs, infused body oil, facial moisturizer and more.
The Pop Local finalists will participate in a showcase called “Meet The Makers at The Market,” to be held at The Boulevard Farmers’ Market on Aug. 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., during which the public can meet and shop with the finalists, officials said.
The finalists were judged on a combination of factors including merit and quality of the application, how the business fits into The Boulevard’s current merchandise mix, and the potential for the winning business to remain at The Boulevard after the initial three-month period. “While the last criteria is not a requirement, it is our hope that the winner will thrive at The Boulevard and become an integral part of our tenant mix,” Hassan stated.
The Pop Local winner will be chosen based on factors including online voting, in-person interviews, the public showcase, and how the business fits into The Boulevard’s tenant mix, according to the release.
The 2021 Pop Local winner, Series Six, owned by founder Sami Baldridge, continued to to operate from its space at The Boulevard for more than two years, until it purchased and moved to a larger storefront in St. Louis’ Lindenwood Park neighborhood in January this year.
Edwards Realty Co., based in Orland Park, Illinois, said it established the Pop Local program to adapt to “the new retail environment” following the Covid-19 pandemic. It has since run five Pop Local programs in the Chicago suburbs of Burr Ridge and Orland Park, and in Brentwood and Collierville in Tennessee.