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Pop-Up New Milford

A retail accelerator project located at 36 Bank Street in New Milford.

 

The Corporation for New Milford Economic Development (CNMED), with seed funding from the Town of New Milford, has commissioned a roadmap for the creation and sustainable funding of a "pop up" retail location that small businesses can temporarily rent in the historic downtown area. The concept is called Pop-Up New Milford.

What is a pop-up?

 

A retail pop-up is a retail concept in which a storefront is temporarily used by one or more businesses to generate focused interest in a brand or products of a business in order to test market demand. CNMED entered into an agreement with & Co, a retail business located at 36 Bank Street in New Milford, to utilize a portion of & Co's retail space for Pop Up New Milford. Approved business participants can utilize this space (170 sq/ft) for an attractive monthly fee -- as little as $200/month! 

 

What are the objectives of Pop-Up New Milford?

 

  • To recruit successful entrepreneurs currently having success running a business out-of-home and/or online to gain experience operating in a traditional brick-and-mortar retail space.

  • Help small businesses build brand awareness and exposure through retail distribution in a highly-trafficked store location.

  • To create and enroll businesses into a retail accelerator program, led by an experienced and diverse mentor-group of professionals who can coach business owners on an array of important business topics. The goal is to assist with the planning, execution and funding of a retail store launch.

  • Help small business owners assess if their brand/product(s) has potential for growth (both sales and distribution).

  • Build a pipeline of future New Milford retail store entrepreneurs.

 

What types of businesses can participate in Pop-Up New Milford?

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The initiative is focused on small businesses with 1-5 employees with demonstrated early success. We hope to attract businesses that are currently operating “out-of-the-home” with an e-commerce model, mail-order model, or other distribution methods. Our research suggests several small businesses such as these consider opening up a traditional retail store, but often the cost required to do so is a barrier to entry. Pop-Up New Milford allows such businesses to test their brand and products in a downtown retail location in order to gather important data to help them make future decisions with respect to opening a store and raising the capital required to do so.

 

Where and When will Pop-Up New Milford operate?

 

  • Pop Up New Milford is located inside the & Co retail store at 36 Bank Street, New Milford, CT 06776.

  • The program officially begins on Thursday, September 21st. Our inaugural Pop Up business is New Milford's own Create a Castle!

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How does the Retail Accelerator Program work?

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The retail accelerator program is currently in development. We are building a network of seasoned business mentors with relevant retail and entrepreneurial experience. We will pull from this pool of professionals to provide business owners with mentor conversations that align with the key opportunities and challenges of each business. If you are interested in serving a mentor, please email us at nmpopup@gmail.com.

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Are you a business owner interested in Pop Up New Milford?

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  • If you own and operate a business that fits the criteria noted above and would like to apply for this unique opportunity, please complete this BUSINESS SIGN-UP FORM. A member of our team will reach out to schedule a phone call as soon as we can.​​

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Got a question? Please email us at nmpopup@gmail.com.

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