The Downtown Shreveport Development Corporation and the Shreveport Regional Arts Council have announced the 14 businesses chosen to participate in the 2015 Pop UP, the three-week small business shopping event, which will be held at artspace at 710 Texas Street, beginning Nov. 28. Pop UP was designed to promote small local businesses and encourage people in the community to shop local first. Pop UP also gives participating businesses a chance to test their products and marketing technique in a low-risk, rent-free setting for three weeks during the prime holiday shopping season.

“The kickoff will be on Small Business Saturday,” DDA/DSDC Executive Director Liz Swaine said. “We will have a big SBS push starting with a gourmet pancake breakfast at artspace, Pop UP specials all day long, events for kids, and a passport to use in our downtown stores that can win you great prizes. We are also planning a Downtown Holiday Shopping Trolley Excursion, and every Thursday, there will be food trucks and happy hour with music at artspace.” 

“Small businesses fuel our local economy,” Swaine said. “The [national] estimate is that $14.3 billion was spent at small businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2014. Over 50 percent of the working population (120 million individuals) works in a small business. Small businesses have generated over 65 percent of the net new jobs since 1995. These are the businesses that make us unique, that create personality and vibe. They are absolutely deserving of our support.”

“In choosing the participants, we look at those businesses that could conceivably be a stand-alone shop and make it,” Swaine said. “Some of our Pop UP businesses may not be ready to launch immediately after this event, but what they will learn is whether their business model works, whether their products will sell, if their marketing needs tweaking and how to best use their one-on-one time with potential customers. It’s ‘real world,’ just without the risk. It is then up to them to run with it.”

The businesses chosen for 2015 Pop UP include a mix of both new and active business owners, offering an array of products. Meredith Piper Art will offer up original Southwest landscapes in oil on wood, framed hand-woven textile pieces and mini Southern landscapes. Sophie’s Daughter will feature brightly-colored Polish pottery manufactured by hand in Europe. Global Images, LLC will be back with its fully LED-lit picture and art frames.

There will also be boutique clothing available at Pop UP. Suite 9 ONE 6 will feature women’s clothing in all sizes and for all occasions, while Inspired Image Boutique will feature the Kokoon 
Fall Clothing Collection. 

Jewelry artists will include Bird On a Wire, (initial, skull and wire rings and up-cycled copper bracelets), Wired & Sassy, LLC (artisan jewelry constructed using metal clay and more) and Resonate with Cassie (found and re-purposed organic and inorganic items with a Bohemian vibe). 

Home Grown Specialties is a collaborative effort including Sassi Catering, J’adore Candles and Naturally Jazzy Creations. The trio will offer everything from freshly prepared healthy meals sourced from local farms to 100 percent soy wax candles and fragrance mists, to soaps, lotions and oils.  

Bringing unique gourmet flavor to Pop UP will be Haute Goat Creamery, which will serve up artisan cheeses, and Fleur De Creme Gourmet Ice Cream, which will offer gourmet flavors such as salted caramel, bananas foster and creole cheesecake. The Twisted Brownie, famous for its more than 40 delicious flavors of brownies will offer eight different flavors each day.  All will have samples available and be taking special orders for the holidays. 

Swaine said a large number of the applicants have been women. “Women make up a large percentage of employees in downtown,” she said, “so we need things available that will appeal to them.”