City Opens "Space to Place", a New Retail Incubator & Pop-Up Marketplace in Downtown Evanston

The City's new small business retail incubator and pop-up program, Space to Place, opens October 1 at Bookman's Alley in Downtown Evanston. The shared marketplace will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., through December 31, and will celebrate with a free public Opening Weekend on October 3 and 4.

Space to Place gives local entrepreneurs a structured, low-risk way to test and grow their businesses in a real storefront. The idea is simple: take vacant spaces and turn them into real opportunities for Evanston business owners, with City-backed support every step of the way.

How the Program Works

Each participating business has a dedicated retail footprint within a shared 3,000-square-foot marketplace, along with a shared point-of-sale system, business training and mentorship, City marketing support, and access to an expert roster covering licensing, brand strategy, financial planning, and lease negotiation. In place of fixed rent, participants pay a low monthly fee plus a percentage of sales. The program is designed as a pathway toward permanent commercial tenancy, helping businesses build the sales history, customer base, and confidence to take on a storefront of their own.

Space to Place was shaped by a spring landscape assessment survey that gathered input from more than 100 Evanston business owners. The program is a City initiative, developed in partnership with retail activation strategist Claire Seizovic.

"Evanston entrepreneurs told us they had the products and the customers but not the access to a physical storefront," said Seizovic. "Space to Place gives them that access, and gives residents a new reason to shop downtown. We can't wait to see the community in the space."

Meet the Inaugural Cohort

The first Space to Place cohort includes 13 Evanston-based businesses offering home objects, furniture, art, jewelry, paper goods, provisions, and more: Bloom & Threshold, El Molcajete Sauces, Furniture Picnic, glimmr, Laurie Kwo Art, Little Rooms by Little Gems, MisTeaques, OOFIE, Pink & Tan Provisions, Suzie Teas Cookies, Swantiques, and The Dandy Shop. 

Opening Weekend: October 3 & 4

Following a soft opening on October 1 and 2, Space to Place will host a public Opening Weekend celebration on Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., alongside the independent business collective ENSEMBLE.

Guest vendors from ENSEMBLE include Dandelion Coffee Bar, Hawthorne Lane Jewelry, Loner Vintage, and Rawson. Dandelion Coffee Bar will serve coffee, pastries, and food, with drinks from Five & Dime. The weekend will also feature Storytime Dads, live music by Local Note, and surprise activations.

Admission is free, and community members are encouraged to register to attend. The Opening Weekend celebration is sponsored in part by Downtown Evanston.