East Martin Street pop-up space. Photo courtesy of DRA website. 

The winter holidays are just around the proverbial corner and, in an effort to give a jolt of economic cheer to budding entrepreneurs, a new pop-up retail space and incubator program is accepting applications from potential tenants who want to sell their wares in busy downtown Raleigh. 

The initiative has been organized by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA), whose mission includes helping to create a vibrant downtown district, and StartUp at Wake Tech, a free service that helps residents and small business owners in Wake County. 

The program is designed as a means to support enterprises owned by women and people of color and to “increase the presence, inclusion, and equity of business ownership in downtown Raleigh,” according to a DRA press release.

The program for budding businesses on the come-up is called “Pop-Up Shops at Martin Street.” The retail outlets will be housed at 17 E. Martin Street. 

The storefront location will provide space for pop-up retail business owners who are willing to share affordable retail space with other up-and-coming retailers and test downtown Raleigh’s storefront market, according to the Thursday news release. 

“These types of partnerships are so important for helping small retailers get traction in the marketplace and show a great example of the close-loop support we aim to provide,” said Katie Gailes, director of StartUp at Wake Tech/Entrepreneurship Initiatives said in the release.

Organizers say 17 E. Martin Street is located on a high foot traffic street near the downtown center. It offers 1,230 square feet of retail space with floor-to-ceiling windows and high retail visibility. The space will be subdivided to accommodate two to four retail tenants at one time, with a minimum lease term of six months.

“We are excited to see the impact for retailers who want to be in downtown Raleigh and the opportunity that a program like this provides at a much lower risk than if they had to open a space from scratch,” said Cherith Roberson, director of StartUp at Wake Tech’s Small Business Center.

The program participants will receive monthly business counseling through StartUp at Wake Tech to support and grow their businesses.

“We are proud to offer this new program in our community that will both add new retailers to downtown and increase minority and female business ownership in downtown,” Bill King, CEO and DRA president, said in the release. “This pop-up opportunity is another part of a larger effort to continue to make downtown a place for everyone, where local and diverse businesses can find opportunity.”

The application deadline to open a retail outlet at Pop-Up Shops on Martin Street is October 19 at 5 p.m. Learn more about the program and how to apply here.

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