Pop-ups started as a way to give new food businesses a boost. Places like the now-defunct Pop-Up General Store introduced people to new products, like the now ubiquitous kouign amanns produced by Starter Bakery. That particular pop-up, situated in North Oakland, allowed people to pre-order goods from small producers, then pick them up at an occasional market.
But that pop-up, while wildly popular, ended — partly because of its popularity.
Peko Peko Curry Credits: Aya Brackett
“The Pop-Up General Store was a pretty fabulous event but it was logistically quite difficult to organize — not that it wasn’t well organized. It was just tricky,” said Sylvan Brackett, whose bento-box business, Peko-Peko, participated.
