• ABOUT
    • Prosperity Forest
    • Regenerative Futurist
    • Popuphood
    • CV
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
    • Prosperity Forest
    • Regenerative Futurist
    • Popuphood
    • CV
  • CONTACT
SARAH R FILLEY
  • ABOUT
    • Prosperity Forest
    • Regenerative Futurist
    • Popuphood
    • CV
  • CONTACT
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POPUPHOOD

We invested in entrepreneurs with hearts of gold to create communities we love.

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2011-2019
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Popuphood designed adaptive spaces, creative places, strategic partnerships, equitable policies, and business incubation programs for municipalities and real estate developers to support inclusive growth, healthy economies, and vibrant destinations. Popuphood, an award winning social enterprise, gained recognition for rethinking retail and its role as a strategic tool to catalyze local economies in transitional, urban and rural neighborhoods. With a unique approach at the intersection of economic development, placemaking, and marketing, Popuphood brought design thinking to city scale.

As a social enterprise, we designed custom solutions for real estate developers, cities, and creative entrepreneurs.
I Co-Founded Popuphood in 2011 in Oakland, CA. We have the distinction as the FIRST retail incubator in the US. 
Our signature phrases to describe our innovative popup programs are now industry standard terms which transformed Old Oakland and garnered international media attention and multiple awards.
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The terms Vacant to Vibrant and Pop-up to Permanent 
were coined by Sarah Filley and these two innovative programs went on to inspire a sea change in the economic development approach to the role of popup retail in revitalizing neighborhoods, block by block. From policy, to mainstreet initiatives, and influential place-based marketing strategies which were the first of their kind to focus on small independent retailers, the influence of our disruptive approach can be seen in feature articles in national press like The New York Times, Huffington Post, Forbes, Fast Company, Sunset Magazine, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Monocle (to name a few), commercials for Bank of America, TV spots on the local news, and radio segments on NPR, Marketplace, which featured out popup retailers in Old Oakland, and our inclusion in the 2012 Venice Biennale Spontaneous Interventions in Venice Italy as well as the complimentary exhibition in 2013 in Chicago, IL.

Popuphood's contribution to the industries of retail, and real estate, and local economic development has been documented in global trend reports like PSFK, Art Place, and others. Our legacy is one we are very proud of and we see our legacy in the many national programs to invest in hyper-local and creative micro-entrepreneurs from Minneapolis, Detroit, New York, Tennessee, and Australia.

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POPUPHOOD from Eva Kolenko on Vimeo.

Services


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​Micro-Entrepreneurs

can have a major

impact on local
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economies.

Projects


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Old Oakland
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Vacant to Vibrant pop-up Program Launch (see above)
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City-wide marketing campaign including designing bus shelter posters and 7 billboards which appeared throughout Oakland to promote the Grand Opening party and launch of Old Oakland's Popuphood!
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​Oakland, CA
​2011
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KONO CBD (Korea Town North Oakland Community Benefits District)
Strategic District Plan

Driving new models of innovation, we did a comprehensive district-wide assessment and strategic plan of KONO. We identified vacancies, underdeveloped sites, strategic partners, and 8 urban interventions to catalyze economic development in the district. 

​Oakland, CA
​2013
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Latham Square
​Popuphood Enterprise Zone

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Popup holiday market and grand opening. Logo, branding, and marketing, and vendor curation. In Partnership with lead designer Rebar art & Design Group and Downtown Oakland Community Benefits District. 


Oakland, CA
2013

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KONO district
Creative engagement 

We partnered with Neighborland to engage with hundreds of First Friday participants about what they wanted in this emerging arts district. 

Oakland, CA
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Fashion Friday on the Plaza
Plaza Activation & Policy Event

We partnered with the City of Oakland and the West Coast Mobile Retail Association to curate a happy hour mobile retail and fashion show event in front of city hall to highlight our state bill to support mobile retail and pop-up policy in CA.

Oakland, CA
2013


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First Friday Block Party
Popuphood: Old Oakland Event

Curated vendors, food, and entertainment in Old Oakland for a First Friday event. Popuphood coordinated marketing with the district and pop-up retailers. 


Oakland, CA
2012

Thank you!

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  • The City Of Oakland, CA Economic and Marketing Development
  • Downtown Oakland and Lake Merrit Community Buisness Districts, Oakland, CA
  • All of our outstanding Volunteers!
    • Mark Roppo, Business Operations Advisor
    • Plinio Hernandez, Administrative & launch marketing Support (first 3 months)
    • Monica Reskala, Logo & Bus shelter poster--Graphic Design
    • Rafael Corona, Billboard--Graphic Design
    • Sepehr Sadighpour, Website finessing (archived site).​

    Resources and insights for dreaming into a regenerative future.
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Yes! I want a regenerative future.
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