You’ll want to hurry over to 171 NE 23rd Street this month to see and taste for yourself the offerings of Emily Schildt’s curated Pop Up Grocer, in town only until February 28th. The concept is rather ingenious and rather radical and all about discovery—this grocery store carries a small, thoughtful selection of products designed to introduce you to items you might not have encountered before. But the catch is, Pop Up Grocer doesn’t put down roots.
Founded in New York in 2019, Pop Up Grocer has been making the rounds through American cities over the last few years, popping up about once a quarter for 30 days. Finally, the grocery store has come to Miami as the company’s 7th pop-up.
“Our decision to go to Miami was pretty easy,” Schildt shared over a phone interview with What Now Miami. “Miami is such a vibrant, exciting city, and it’s experiencing a lot of growth right now.”
Typically, Pop Up Grocer showcases around 150 brands through about 400 products. Generally speaking, you’ll find brands you might not already be familiar with, although usually between 5 and 10 % of the brands sold at the grocer are local.
For Schildt, her company’s intent is to help brands and their founders gain audiences in new markets.
“We always open in cities where our brands want to get exposure, so Miami was of interest to them,” she explained. “We also target neighborhoods that have a very strong creative culture, so Wynwood was a great fit for us.”
While the grocery won’t be back in town immediately, Schildt says Pop Up’s return to Miami is certainly a possibility. “You never know, our growth could allow us to open more pop-ups,” she shared, and the success of the Miami store this month could dictate future plans.
Schildt says the company isn’t ready to share where Pop Up Grocer is headed next, but they will be following the sun. Once the snow clears, you’ll likely learn of Pop Up Grocer opening somewhere in the northeast.
To learn a bit more, find Pop Up Grocer online.
