Popup Hood grand opening

The Popup Hood in Old Oakland had its grand opening on Friday. Popup Hood is the brainchild of Alfonso Dominguez (of the bar and restaurant Tamarindo) and Sarah Filley, and fills some long-empty store fronts in Old Oakland.

Unlike most popup markets, this one (like the Montclair Collective) hopes to become permanent. Currently the shops are operating rent-free for six months, but the founders are hoping the shops are successful and become permanent stores. Current retailers include Manifesto Bikes, Marion and Rose’s Workshop, Sticks + Stones gallery, Piper and John General Goods, and Crown Nine jewelry. Part of the idea is that by having a critical mass of shops, they can help support each other and existing businesses by drawing more foot traffic to the area.

K and I headed down to 9th and Broadway in Old Oakland on Friday evening. When we got there about 6, there was a good crowd checking out the shops. By the time we left (after dinner and drinks at Tamarindo), the shops were packed. There are a wide variety of items for sale, including jewelry, clothes, art and bicycles, but the common theme is that they're locally and lovingly made. It's also great to see that part of Old Oakland filled up with people in the evening. Friday afternoons there's a farmers market that closes down the streets, and they kept 9th between Washington and Broadway closed for the evening. For the grand opening, you could get tickets punched by each of the popup retailers, and other businesses in Old Oakland gave various discounts for collecting them all.

Check out the Popup Hood in Old Oakland, and shop local!

More pictures:


Check out the great video about the Popup Hood by Eva Kolenko:

Popup Hood from Eva Kolenko

More coverage:
New York Times
Oakland North
SFGate
East Bay Express
Smart Planet