Photo courtesy of UpNext
Allison Yee
Founder and CEO, UpNext
Age: 41
Industry experience: 14 years
Retail landlords and local Main Streets organizations turn to Allison Yee as a matchmaker with emerging retail concepts looking for flexible, low-commitment spaces, from downtowns to suburban lifestyle centers. Yee’s pop-up consultants, UpNext, got a boost during the pandemic when local communities including the city of Lowell used ARPA funding to reinvigorate retail districts. Since 2018 the Newton-based firm has curated the retail mix at nearly two dozen storefronts in Massachusetts for more than 75 early-stage retail concepts.
Q: What was your background in retail before founding UpNext?
A: I worked in all facets of retail, most recently for WS Development for seven years, where I fell into popups. And before [that] I worked as a buyer and in retail marketing and all different parts of the industry.
Q: What was UpNext’s first project?
A: It was a pop-up village: shipping containers outside an aircraft hangar at Union Point in Weymouth, working with the master developer at that time. There was a whole village with eight different shipping containers, a food truck and beer garden. I curated two rotating concepts in two hot-pink shipping containers, one on local retail and one which was retail-plus-experience: calligraphy and knitting workshops and artists-in-residences. It operated four days a week.
Q: How does UpNext’s business model work and what are the typical types of properties?
A: We work with a bunch of different stakeholders. In terms of properties, we either look for underutilized spaces, whether it’s a retail vacancy, a commercial space or even a carve-out of an existing space that is perhaps not being actively utilized. Or we work in activating a common area, a mobile retail set-up on a parcel of land or a park such as the Rose Kennedy Greenway, or adjacent to a storefront. The pop-ups typically stay in the space for a season – three or four months – which is what we like to see as a minimum test. Sometimes we do it more as a marketing activation, and we’re seeing more and more of that: developers and landlords and municipalities even are using pop-ups as a marketing play and a way of getting more local small businesses into the mix.
Q: How much of UpNext’s current programs is a partnership with municipalities?
A: We love working with Lowell. They are doing amazing things. We are currently in Gloucester and Brookline and we are getting ready to launch several more this year: Wakefield, Melrose and Medford potentially. The initiatives historically have been grant-funded or ARPA-funded, so we work very closely with the municipality to secure that funding and identify the objectives with the length of time, the location in the general vicinity or a specific storefront, what types of brands we are looking to attract and test the market, and what the community is looking for. We pug into the local chamber of commerce and community resources. Also co-tenancy synergy: It’s not just the popups coming in. Ideally the buzz of the pop-up is bringing foot traffic to the neighborhood.
Q: Why do landlords seek this type of a partnership?
A: Landlords are typically new to the concept, so there is definitely a learning curve. We’ve had proof of concept with this, with over 20 unique storefronts and over 75 different brands, so it’s not brand-new. There is a track record. We are really thorough at vetting the brands that are applying. It’s an application process where we’re looking at the founders. It can be very beneficial to the landlord. We’ve been incubating brands that go on to lease space, lease long-term in either the same space, or another space owned by the landlord.
Q: What new programs do you have coming up this year?
A: For the first time, we have grant funding through the South Shore Economic Development Corp’s REDO [Regional Economic Development Organization] program, for municipal leaders on how to launch a pop-up on their own. We’re doing live sessions so they can move on their own or engage with us down the line.
Q: What do organizers need to know about the biggest pitfalls to avoid?
A: It’s a long one. We go through the conversation where we’re framing the opportunity. They get everybody on board on the benefits and objectives. Then you’re scouting a space, figuring out the right location and footprint. If you’re looking for turnkey space, what cosmetic updates and fixtures can we provide? How can we get the space to be a light lift between seasons or brands, and how can we support them? Once they own and operate the space, we notify the media to get buzz and community engagement. As with any retail launch, it’s a similar approach. You’re doing it on a rapid timeline.
Yee’s Five Favorite Hidden-Gem Ice Cream Shops
- New City Microcreamery in Hudson
- Rococo Ice Cream in Kennebunk, Maine
- Raymond’s Frozen Custard in Casco, Maine
- Kimball Farm in Westford
- Crescent Ridge in Sharon
