Three New Businesses Coming to Medford Square through City’s Project: Pop-Up Incubator

Project: Pop-Up Medford, a temporary retail pop-up at 68 High Street in Medford Square is opening its doors to three new businesses, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced. Business consulting firm UpNext and the City of Medford are collaborating to support local entrepreneurs by providing access to retail space to test their business ventures and foster a vibrant retail district. 

Three Medford residents were selected to participate in the first round of Project: Pop-Up Medford. The businesses are blob.says.hello (jewelry designer), Bithiah’s Art (artist-illustrator), and Sunny Side Up Studio (photographer). These entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pilot their products in a brick-and-mortar setting in a rent-free space and have access to business development resources aimed at helping them succeed in a retail environment. The pop-up retail shop will run from June through July 15, 2025. The City opened applications in April to Medford residents who operate a microenterprise, a business with fewer than five employees, and have a household income of 80% or less of the area median income. The application period has now ended. 

City officials will be holding an official ribbon cutting ceremony with all three brands at the location on Tuesday, June 10 at 4 p.m. The businesses held a soft opening on Wednesday, June 4, with normal hours being Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each week. 

By using the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant funds, the City of Medford funds this opportunity specifically for low-to-moderate income Medford Residents who operate a micro-enterprise, which is a business with fewer than five employees. UpNext selected the applicants for the shared Medford storefront based on eligibility criteria and ability to manage the storefront. UpNext received several applicants and after carefully vetting each applicant, moved forward with a curated mix of three complementary brands that would thrive together in a shared space, with the goal of creating a collaborative pop-up experience. 

The City of Medford’s Office of Planning, Sustainability, and Development is available to answer any questions potential applicants may have. Please contact Kayla Myros, Economic Development Planner, at kmyros@medford-ma.gov or 781-393-2480.  

This program is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) CDBG program. All grants under this program are subject to the availability of CDBG funding from HUD and the continued eligibility of the City to receive such funds.