Like many other businesses, our Parasol Projects team initially thought the COVID-19 pandemic and its related health restrictions would pass quickly. At the beginning of New York City’s pandemic shutdown, we were exiting our slow late winter period and gearing up for a packed spring and summer. The usual flow of city life, however, became disrupted with stay-at-home orders going into effect, and this disruption would continue throughout 2020 and beyond.
Many Parasol Projects clients who reserved pop-up retail spaces months prior suddenly couldn’t host their events and were unsure about pushing back their booking dates. As a service provider supporting these businesses and artists, both large and small, we witnessed our industry contracting quickly — and could empathize with our clients’ uncertainty, as we were subject to it as well. Would people ever want to go back to in-person events? Could retailers ensure they’d have items ready to sell given global supply chain breakdowns? With social and business life in the New York City metro region restarting, our founder Brandon Coburn offered his perspective on the next chapter for the pop-up industry.
The biggest challenges for brands hosting in-person events
“The biggest changes involve staying safe and focused on everyone’s health. Yes, we’ve always prioritized the safety of our clients’ merchandise and of our pop-up visitors, but now a new dimension has been added — integrating new health protocols such as encouraging indoor mask-wearing, sanitizing hands, and social distancing.”
What changed, and how Parasol helped clients navigate it
“To maximize cleanliness, Parasol Projects makes sure its rental spaces are thoroughly cleaned between every booking. We also offer a cleaning service for clients during their stay. More generally, international travel limitations negatively impacted the city’s pop-up scene — fewer tourists means fewer people visiting our clients’ shops. I’m hopeful that vaccination will result in a return to pre-pandemic levels of people coming to the city.”
On the future of pop ups in NYC
“The future of pop-ups relies on what happens globally in regards to the pandemic and vaccination efforts. Until a critical mass of people gets vaccinated, it’s hard to provide an accurate guess as to what will happen — but people are trying to save their businesses, and we think you can protect public safety and do that at the same time.”
Editor’s note: this piece is preserved from December 2021 as a snapshot of the industry’s toughest chapter — and how it set up the pop-up boom that followed.