Temporary shops make lasting impressions

Rei Kawakubo of fashion label Comme des Garcons is often credited with launching the concept five years ago, when she set up a temporary retail outlet in a dilapidated building in an unlikely neighborhood of Berlin.

The space was cleaned up -- just enough -- and equipped with rails of clothes, some design objects and a cash register. It was an instant success. Customers who found it felt they were in on something edgy, secret and slightly illicit.

Since then, the company has created a handful of 12-month shops in cities such as Beirut, The Hague and Vilnius, Lithuania, while other big brands including Uniqlo and Target have followed suit.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the idea is trickling through to other realms. Designers and design stores in particular are embracing this raw, low-tech approach as an antidote to homogenized, glossy stores and a way to create a sense of discovery and urgency among buyers.

"It's about not knowing what to expect," says London design consultant Jacob Peres. "People seem to want something less finished, [and they] need a new destination to visit. What a great way to exhibit new work to a new audience."

There are practical considerations too, says Sean Sutcliffe, co-founder of British furniture company Benchmark, whose first temporary store, on London's Brompton Road, was open until October.

"Benchmark primarily functions from its Berkshire farm shop base. We have a steady flow of business, but it's a long way to come [from London]," he said. "A retail space in London [let us] bring our new collection to a wider audience. It was purely about trying something different without too much commitment."

Curator Libby Sellers, whose eponymous gallery featuring work from young British designers opened during the fall, says she thinks guerrilla stores are often the best way for fledgling retailers or gallerists such as herself to launch.

"Doing things organically is affordable," she said. "That also means I can find appropriate venues to suit specific pieces. Design lends itself to that."

Having sold several pieces and garnered plenty of media attention in London and Miami, Sellers believes the element of surprise -- "a sense of visitors discovering something new" -- is the key benefit of utilizing a temporary venue.