WASHINGTON — From a coffee cart inside the Cannon House Office Building to a pop-up inside a vintage clothing store, Washington entrepreneurs are rethinking how to start a business by turning to temporary setups instead of traditional storefronts.
With commercial vacancy rates nearing 23 percent and federal spending cuts reshaping the District’s economy, many small business owners are starting with pop-ups as a lower-risk path to building permanent storefronts. The pop-up model allows business owners to test ideas, build a community, and generate revenue without committing to costly long-term leases.
Black Crown Collective started as a simple coffee cart inside the Cannon House Office Building. Today, it operates as a permanent storefront serving customers on Capitol Hill, which is a model many entrepreneurs are now trying to replicate.