Project Pop-Up

Project Pop-Up is an innovative initiative that provides entrepreneurs with an opportunity to activate a pop-up retail shop in a vacant storefront in Downtown Pittsburgh. Selected applicants can occupy and transform these spaces for up to 12 months, helping create a more vibrant street-level environment in Downtown.

APPLY NOW!

Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.

About Project Pop-Up

In collaboration with Downtown property owners and through the generous support of the Hillman Foundation, Project Pop-Up is currently seeking applications from prospective pop-up retail businesses to transform vacant storefronts into vibrant, activated spaces, creating new and exciting destinations in Downtown Pittsburgh.

The goal of this initiative is to implement storefront concepts that will further contribute to Downtown’s growing small business community. Activation can range from six months to one year, with the potential for extended occupancy.

Program Benefits

• Easy to apply. Just fill out the application linked below.
• Rent-free lease terms. Through Project Pop-Up you won’t pay rent for the first 6-12 months in your storefront.
• Partnership possibilities. You can share the space with another entrepreneur or collaborate on a concept together.
• Financial incentives. Grants of up to $15,000 per storefront will be granted to cover expenses like utilities, setup, maintenance, insurance, events, and implementing the pop-up concept.
• Built-in customer base. Downtown thrives as a vibrant neighborhood, attracting a constant flow of visitors, residents, and workers. Capitalize on the existing customer base and contribute to the expanding foot traffic in the area.

How to Apply:

1. Review the full Project Pop-Up program overview and requirements.
2. Submit an online application via the link below.

Questions?

Please contact Cate Irvin, Senior Director of Economic Development at cirvin@downtownpittsburgh.com or 412-325-0157 with questions regarding the program, application, or other Project Pop-Up related inquiries.

Current Project Pop-Up Locations

Explore the diverse and dynamic businesses, art installations, and exhibitions that have come to life through Project Pop-Up. These participants are bringing new energy to Downtown Pittsburgh with their unique contributions and creative offerings.

Emerging Visions

This multi-site urban gallery exhibition created in collaboration with Silver Eye Center for Photography features the works from emerging Pittsburgh artists, transforming vacant storefronts in Downtown into an outdoor art experience.

Various works by Evangeline Mensah-Agyekum
529 Liberty Avenue
As a self-taught artist, Mensah-Agyekum primarily works with photography, fashion, and film. Evangeline draws inspiration from the banalities of daily life and the Black experience to explore Blackness, womanhood, and the unique intersections of identity. Much of her work aims to capture individuals, in part by transforming them, portraying undaunted characters through their vulnerability.

Legacy (2018) by Anqwenique Kinsel
604 Liberty Avenue
Anqwenique is a versatile artist and educator known for her talents in opera, classical, jazz, and soul music. As the founder and director of Groove Aesthetic, she delves into contemporary performance and collaborative processes. Legacy pays tribute to the legendary Leontyne Price, the first African American operatic soprano to achieve international recognition.

Stay Awhile (2023) by Sobia Ahmad
817 Liberty Avenue
Ahmad’s ongoing body of work centers on Pando, an ancient aspen tree grove in south-central Utah, believed to be over 10,000 years old. Unified by a single immense root system, Pando stands as the earth’s oldest and heaviest living organism, embodying interconnectedness and oneness. Ahmad’s art explores the transcendental power of everyday experiences, objects, and practices through various slow and contemplative processes.

“Send My Love to the Hill”
Artworks by Charlese Dawson and poem by Jhordan Price
421 Seventh Avenue
This photobook of poetry takes audiences on a tour through the Hill District through the lens of people who are a part of the community. Send My Love to The Hill is a love letter to this historic black community that has nurtured both Dawson’s artistry and humanity. Appropriately, this installation is only yards away from the August Wilson African American Cultural Center whose esteemed namesake described life in The Hill over decades and generations.