Boombox Chicago is Chicago’s first shipping container pop-up shop created by Latent Design.
These photos were taken directly from the Boombox website.
“Boombox is a prefabricated, climate controlled, pop-up storefront constructed from an upcycled shipping container available to rent for short term, retail, cultural, community, and marketing experiences.”
I took sometime today to visit the Boombox location in Englewood. Unfortunately it was not in use, and it was unoccupied. This is probably because we are still in the winter season; and everyone usually spends more time indoors. When you approach the site, it’s almost easy to pass it by, because it’s tucked away in this nice plaza space next to a line of retail shops. Surprisingly there weren’t any homeless people in the plaza or any that have tried to break in to the boombox. There was bolted lock on the door to protect the pre-fabricated module. This is a great sign of how this is creating a safe space in the area
As I was taking pictures of site, a pedestrian stopped me and asked me what it was. I explained to them it was a place where small businesses and startup companies can rent the space at an affordable price for a short period of time; sell and market their work. This is to help the transition between startup to storefront. Their response was “Wow, I never knew this existed here, this is definitely something we need in the black community. Thank you for sharing this with me!”
I can only imagine how exciting the boombox is in the summertime, when the trees in the plaza have blossomed, the sun is out and people are out and about moving around. I think that it lies in a prime location in the community; there is a nice existing shopping center. This makes it easier for tenants using the space to attract customers from the surrounding retail spaces; especially if they can have some nice music playing.
I noticed that this Boombox looked different than the others because it was painted with a nice mural; which made it unique for Englewood.
It’s interesting, because on a different day, during an uber ride I passed by another shipping container center called Boxville in a neighborhood called Bronzeville. When activated, this place becomes an outdoor farmers market. Bronzeville is considered to be a food desert area, and this is a great way to address this problem. It’s right next to the green line, which means that it’s in an accessible place for people who do not own their own cars.
Please visit their website to learn more about them: https://www.boxville.org/
Sources:
https://www.boomboxchicago.com/
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