MGB POPS is a direct response to Brownsville residents’ requests for more retail and food options in a neighborhood that suffers from historically low outside commercial investment. This open-air marketplace is a project of local residents coordinated by the national non-profit Community Solutions, their locally run organization, the Brownsville Partnership and was financially underwritten by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)’s initiative to activate vacant lots in Brownsville and East New York. In accordance with the NYCEDC’s initiative guidelines, ORE Design + Technology designed and built a low-overhead pop-up marketplace that supports local start-up retailers.
Free standing vendor kiosks and stores housed in modified shipping containers, replete with the wares of local entrepreneurs and businesses, populate this site, which was once an overgrown, debris-filled vacant lot.
The 7’-0” x 3’-3” x 7’-0” kiosks were designed to be flexible storefronts that open to create over 100 sf of display space. Each kiosk was outfitted with display shelves that convert to benches, clothing rails, point of sale counters and tables, which can be reconfigured according to the retail needs of each vendor.
The market called MGBPOPS! (Mother Gaston Boulevard POPS!) was built entirely using locally hired labor from Brownsville, a percentage of whom were unemployed and seeking construction job training.
