Pop-up shops look to make a splash in Hamptons retail market

Weekend-warrior city dwellers aren’t the only ones temporarily flocking to the Hamptons each summer.

Each summer, the East End plays host to chic pop-up retail shops looking to make a name for themselves with trend-setting shoppers by hocking fashion, jewelry and beauty products, Bloomberg reported.

The process gets under way the previous fall, when representatives from national chains start checking out spaces during the quiet winter months. East Hampton and Southampton had about 16 available stores each this year, and with so much space available, smaller tenants that usually get squeezed out were able to land spots.

“It has a certain, I would say, elevated feel to it,” Sophie Kahn, co-founder of the AUrate New York jewelry store, said about the wealthy crowds that flock to the Hamptons during the summer months. “It’s luxury.”

East Hampton even has a new Tesla Motors showroom that started out as a pop-up trial last summer, but not all get a permanent run. Joe Fresh, Rebecca Minkoff, Milly, Isaac Mizrahi and Tamara Mellon are all brands that tried pop-ups but never led to full-time stores.

The stores can also serve as a launching pad for locations in the city. Bandier, an athletic-clothing shop that started as a Southampton pop-up in 2014, now has six full-time locations, including a Fifth Avenue flagship.

“Originally, I thought I’d open in New York,” Bandier founder Jennifer Bandier said. “But the rents were so high.” [Bloomberg] – Rich Bockmann

Correction: Due to an error in the source article, a prior version of this report characterized Milly’s East Hampton store as a pop-up.