Want to Run Your Own Downtown Pop-Up? Apply to Our RE:Store Program!
January 12, 2026
Have a great idea for a new storefront and a solid business plan but lack the resources and knowhow to get started? Looking to expand your retail business but don’t know the next location? Great news — the Downtown Alliance is launching RE:Store, a new program designed to give small business operators the opportunity to open a free temporary pop-up storefront in Lower Manhattan for a three-month period. Sound too good to be true? It’s not! Applications open TODAY and will be accepted until February 6, 2026.
Successful applicants will receive a free storefront to showcase their retail concept for a three month period, beginning around Memorial Day 2026. They will also receive up to $15,000 in grant funding for fit-out and operating expenses. Participants will also receive assistance with fit-out, design, permitting and insurance.
With over 1,000 retail businesses, Lower Manhattan is a dynamic and rapidly growing neighborhood, home to more than 70,000 residents and 280,000 workers, and is among the city’s most transit-accessible areas, served by 13 subway lines and 18 commuter ferry routes, making it an ideal location for a small business.
To be eligible for consideration for RE:Store, applicants must demonstrate an intent to generate revenue through a retail-focused storefront and possess experience operating retail businesses in New York City. No on-site food or beverage preparation or alcohol will be allowed (though distribution of packaged food and/or beverage from an off-site licensed production facility or kitchen is permitted.) Applicants will also not be considered who are seeking to use a storefront exclusively as a workshop, office or studio space. Successful applicants will be selected by March 23 by a review committee of retail experts with strong ties to Lower Manhattan.
To apply or to learn more information about our program, including some commonly asked questions, visit us at downtownny.com/restore.
