If you’ve been galloping around the Fenway area on Boylston in the last few weeks, you may have seen a little storefront wedged next to Sweet Cheeks BBQ, called Mom and Pop-Up, noticeable by the glowing neon sign of the same name in the window.
If you’re still unsure exactly what it is, besides an eclectic mixed-use space inspired by the old Keith Haring Tokyo pop up shops of the 1980s (hence the decor), it’s a project being done in conjunction with TheFenway.com designed to inspire excitement and new energy into the still-evolving neighborhood as the monolithic project across from Fenway Health is completed, which intends to house independent retailers on the ground floor.
This push to drive excitement and momentum for what’s planned in the Fenway’s development over the forthcoming few years boiled down to a 30-day experiment meant to engage with a different vendor every day. Vendors who were asked by the space’s organizers to “push the envelope and take risks” when planing their projects.
The challenge worked. In the second week alone there were 150 people lining up for Union Square Donuts thanks to their being in between shops opening and doing experimental projects like donut ice cream sandwiches using Toscanni’s ice cream and a magic chocolate shell dip. Besides that, when Treats on Washington showed up with 130 of their killer pies to perhaps peddle a few to hungry locals, the entire crop was sold out in two hours.
You can catch the last stretch of the pop ups between tonight tomorrow when it closes up with a special blowout series that will have a party involving music and fried chicken.
Never a bad thing.
MOM AND POP-UP. ENDS SATURDAY. 1377 BOYLSTON ST., BOSTON.
Dan is a freelance journalist and has written for publications including Vice, Esquire, the Daily Beast, Fast Company, Pacific Standard, MEL, Leafly, Thrillist, and DigBoston.
