East Bay pop-ups have found a consistent place to land at a few bodegas, boutiques and markets. Of All Places, Honey Bird Market, Island Savoy Market and Morningtide are just a few of the many local hosts. Morningtide recently hit a bump in the road with them and subsequently posted about a county permit issue. Responding to its need for financial assistance, the community contributed to a small fund to offset the unexpected fee.
Online, people in support of Morningtide’s pop-ups responded with Instagram comments like these: “The endless hoops small business owners have to jump through to build community and third spaces in our neighborhoods is beyond frustrating!” And, “You are not a huge corporation, but a small local business. What is the possible reason for such a steep cost for a one-time permit?!”
At Ayda Algazzali’s Honey Bird Market, the owner also addresses the needs of her community. Algazzali hosts Quiet Earth Coffee on Friday mornings because that part of Alameda’s High Street isn’t packed with cafés. But before she started bringing in pop-ups, Algazzali checked in with Celia and Joe Catalino, who own Of All Places, to find out how they operate them out of their location on Solano Avenue. I didn’t ask her if a secret society of bodega owners exists, but there might just be a hotline for those in the know…