YOUR IDEA HERE: A Toolkit for Unlocking the Community Potential of Vacant Storefronts

Empty storefront retail space is an issue facing many neighborhoods across the country, and once that often requires collaboration between neighborhood councils, commercial property owners and community members to address.

This study, conducted on behalf of Saint Anthony Park Community Council in Saint Paul, MN and supported by Neighborhood Partnerships for Community Research (NPCR), a program of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota, details the “Saint Anthony Pop-Up Shop,” a project which entailed creative partnerships used a vacant storefront to express the identity and vision of the neighborhood. Read more about some of those projects here.

Included in the toolkit are FAQs for all parties in a rental or lease situation, a proposed timeline and workflow for a successful pop-up shop, a sample annotated leases and potential renter profiles. This toolkit is available for free via CURA.

If you’re having issues with the form or have other questions, click here to request the free toolkit, or email Carl at creativeexchange@springboardforthearts.org with questions.

Irrigate Interns at St. Anthony Pop-Up Shop
Peter Haakon Thompson