Pre-holiday pop-up shops bring new life to Lincoln Road — and fill empty spaces

Lincoln Road is getting a trio of new pop-up shops.

To help small businesses and fill a growing number of retail vacancies, the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District has launched a pre-holiday pop-up program. So far, three small business owners have signed leases.

The Lincoln Road BID approved the program in early September. Retailers submit an application for a 90-day lease, said Tim Schmand, BID executive director. Schmand reviews applications and connects applicants with landlords. Lease rates are often less than the going price for annual contracts.

The BID is aiming to fill vacant storefronts before the holiday season. Although Lincoln Road signed several new retailers last year, occupancy rates have dropped by 8% since December 2019, from 82% to 74%, Schmand said. Of its total 250 storefronts, about 60 spaces are empty.

“The goal of the program is to get interesting, cutting-edge retailers onto Lincoln Road. If we get four interesting retailers on Lincoln Road, then that’s a home run,” Schmand said.

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Some landlords are charging less for pop-ups than the current average asking rates. Stephen Bittel, chairman and founder of Terranova and owner of several commercial spaces on Lincoln Road, is asking for about $80 per square foot for short-term leases versus $250 per square foot for annual contracts.

“It pays for the operation costs but we make no profit,” Bittel said. “[But] if the tenant wanted to enter in a long-term lease, we could extend the pop-up for the next 90 days. Our goal is to keep the street as occupied as possible.”

Available retail spaces range from 260 to 10,000 square feet. Landlords receive 10% of sales or common area maintenance charges, utilities and sales tax.

Three retailers have signed leases since the program launched:

▪ David Rosen, owner of the art gallery David Rosen Galleries and commercial real estate investor, has taken a 6,000-square-foot space at 927 and 933 Lincoln Road, the former homes of Books & Books Miami Beach and Diesel. Rosen is showing 30 works; some are for sale.

▪ Gabriel Diaz, owner of the plant boutique Plant Daddy, leased the 348-square-foot space at 809 North Lincoln Lane in September and will open in early October. Diaz launched the concept online in June in honor of his late mother; the store carries his nickname.

“My friends call me three things: Cat Daddy, Building Daddy, and Plant Daddy,” Diaz said. “My home is a jungle; I have over 50 plants.”

▪ Jozy DeFord, owner of the vintage shop Renegade Rustlers, leased the 368-square-foot space at 804 North Lincoln Lane in September and will open in mid-October. It will be DeFord’s first brick-and-mortar location. For the past 28 years, she has sold vintage clothing on Española Way and at the Lincoln Road Antique Market.

“Without a program like this, it would have taken me another year or two to have the finances to do this,” DeFord said.

Retailers expect Lincoln Road foot traffic will increase with the holiday season. “Although the cruise lines are not sailing, all of the tourists come to Lincoln Road,” said Rosen. “It’s beautiful, outdoors, full of foliage. In coming months, tourism will pick back up.”

The Lincoln Road BID is increasing programs to draw potential shoppers to the area, Schmand said, including the return of the Lincoln Road Antique Market and the Lincoln Road Farmers’ Market in October.

“It’s the daily activity that makes the weekly activity and changes the monthly activity. You have to come in now and create that environment where people are excited to see you,” Schmand said.

The outdoor mall is seeking unique-to-Miami retailers after an influx of international brands that could afford high rents. The pop-up program may be one more step in that direction, said Lyle Stern, president of Koniver Stern Group and owner of two retail spaces on Lincoln Road.

“As the road evolves, how do we keep it interesting? The pop-up program was an intelligent response to the times that we are living in,” Stern said.

Pop-up stores have been growing in popularity over the last 10 years as landlords sought to fill vacancies and encourage tenants to test the market in an evolving retail climate.

“They are more relevant now than before,” Bittel said. “All over the world, restaurant and retail concepts have been rationing their footprint and closing more profitable stores. With that transition, a lot of people in the retail industry have lost their jobs. This gives people the chance to test ideas and gets people back to work...Temporary occupancy is going to be part of our future for a long time.”