‘Local’ offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to test their business chops
BY BRAD OPPENHEIM \ PHOTOS PROVIDED AND STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY
Downtown Lafayette boasts a vibrant and diverse retail scene, and now, an innovative pop-up opportunity is offering local entrepreneurs the chance to grow and elevate their small businesses during what can best be described as a trial basis.
Located on the southeast corner of Sixth and Main streets, Local, which is touted as a “downtown Lafayette pop-up experiment,” is offering two 500- to 600-square-foot white-box storefronts available to budding retailers, makers and creators where they can apply to rent the storefront on 30-day terms.
This effort allows business owners to run a physical storefront with less risk than committing to a long-term lease right away.
Dennis Carson, economic development director for the City of Lafayette, says the opportunity to purchase the building was presented to the city when the business that formerly occupied the space closed.
The vision for the space includes expanding amenities for the public and artists using the Long Center for the Performing Arts, which is right around the corner, allowing the addition of a larger public lobby and gathering spaces. Currently, Carson says the project is still a few years out, with no specific timeline.
“So, in the interim, this is a great use of the space and economic development initiative to encourage more Main Street businesses to grow downtown,” he says.
This isn’t the first time this concept has been introduced in Lafayette. Carson notes that the city already has been offering a comparable option at a storefront on Columbia Street between Sixth and Seventh streets, where two spaces have been made available to retailers on short-term leases of up to one year. Those spots have housed a spice and tea shop, a fashion designer, a collectibles shop and others.
“This program expands on that and adds other services and support that will help entrepreneurs for success,ˮ he says. “I’m excited to add more retail choices downtown and continue downtown’s positive momentum as a retail and tourist destination.”
With the City of Lafayette, the project is a collaboration between several entities, including the Downtown Lafayette Business Owners Association (DLBOA), MatchBOX Coworking Studio, Lafayette Urban Enterprise Association, The Heartland Concept, First Merchants Bank and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
Amanda Findlay is the executive director of MatchBOX, which serves as a coworking studio, makerspace and innovation hub designed for entrepreneurs, freelancers, creatives and small-business founders in Greater Lafayette.
“At MatchBOX, we’re constantly meeting creative innovators, so we know the demand for opportunities like Local exist,” she says.
“We looked at many models around the country in preparation for the launch of Local and were really impressed with some of the initiatives that others have successfully launched and operated.”
For those interested in renting a space, the first step is submitting an online application. From there, a small committee reviews those applications and helps make decisions about retail readiness and product market fit. Findlay says the plan is to rotate vendors on a monthly basis through June 2026.
As for choosing which retailers occupy the space, she says customer-facing businesses make sense, specifically in the north space with large windows facing Main Street.
“Home goods, packaged food, clothing collectives, experiential studios, art and craft pop-ups … there are so many options,” she says. “We’re looking at existing businesses with market track records (farmers market and pop-up vendors), online vendors looking to expand into physical spaces, and brand new concepts and collaborations testing the market for the first time.”
Entrepreneurs who are selected will be assigned a timeframe to operate the space, and once their timeframe comes, they will have a month to run their operations and gauge how their business models perform.
“It’s like a month-long market booth, or a very quick pop-up presence,” Findlay says. “But we think the short-term commitment will be a really insightful test for the retailers and help them decide if brick-and-mortar business ownership is the right path for them, long before they sign a 3- to 5-year lease or purchase commercial space.”
As for rates, the 30-day residency comes at a cost of $500, which includes the lease, basic utilities, access to shared furniture, business coaching and marketing support. Not included in the lease is general liability insurance, which vendors will be required to carry before moving in.
For multiple businesses looking to co-exist in the space during the same timeframe, partnerships are encouraged, but applicants must provide details on space-sharing arrangements and co-branding plans when filling out the application.
Entrepreneurs also will be provided with MatchBOX and DLBOA memberships through the duration of their lease, allowing them the opportunity to tap into acceleration programs, MatchBOX office hours, downtown business owner meetings and collaborations and more.
“Greater Lafayette has a thriving small business ecosystem, with numerous vendor-based events providing market-testing opportunities for entrepreneurs,” Findlay says.
She notes that popular events such as Summer on the Square, Merry Main Street, Monster Mash on the Wabash, Star City Nights and the MatchBOX Holiday Maker Market have proven significant vendor participation and consumer demand. Additionally, the Lafayette, West Lafayette and Purdue University farmers markets offer regular retail opportunities for small business owners.
“However, these events, while valuable, are often limited to single-day or weekly engagements and do not provide sustained exposure for vendors to refine their business models or cultivate a loyal customer base,” she says. “We’re calling this an experiment for a reason, and we’re looking forward to giving entrepreneurs the chance to test their concepts on our beautiful Main Street.”
The program will be assessed, determining the best course of action on how to best serve up-and-coming retailers here in Greater Lafayette.
“We’re looking at a few things to measure the success of this project,” Findlay says.
This includes revenue generated by the entrepreneurs in the spaces, number of businesses who either directly or indirectly operate from the spaces and number of community organizations that engage with the space.
“We’ve learned from MatchBOX that the proper metric for business ideas is never that 100% will become viable businesses,” she says. “Sometimes, innovators put their idea through the ringer and realize the product-market fit is off or they don’t actually enjoy running a brick and mortar or that isn’t how their customers like to interact with this.”
Findlay notes that the 30-day residency is particularly fast for this project, and while uncertain if this rapid turnover pace will continue, testing it to keep the corner of Sixth and Main fresh and exciting is important for the beginning phases of Local. ★
