Warrenville plans pop-up marketplace similar to Batavia’s boardwalk shops

A short stroll from the Fox River, the Batavia Boardwalk Shops have made waves with the look and feel of a tiny beach town.

Shoppers stroll the boardwalk, lined with uniform vendor huts and patio umbrellas. Each season, the 10 mini shops feature a new lineup of homegrown retailers and entrepreneurs.

That incubator program has inspired another riverside town.

Warrenville leaders are working to fashion a pop-up marketplace that can grow over time. The idea is to give startup and home-based businesses a chance to interact with their customers face-to-face, test their products and develop their brand.

“We're seeing these pop-up markets literally pop up across the region,” said Amy Emery, Warrenville’s community and economic development director.

The city has identified Leone Schmidt Heritage Park near the West Branch of the DuPage River “as the perfect place for establishing this market,” Emery said.

Warrenville also has been awarded a grant from DuPage County to help launch the market. The county will reimburse the city for project costs up to $25,000.

“Specifically, we believe the grant will cover the cost of bringing electric service to the site and allowing us to locate two vendor units on the property,” Emery said.

The physical start will help people visualize and understand “what this place can become through the efforts of our community partners,” she recently told city aldermen.

“The market itself is just beginning, so there are more units to bring in and more amenities to provide over time, but this is kick-starting our initiative,” Emery said of the grant.

Organizers will look for private sponsorships and even “sweat equity” to develop the market.

“We really want this to be a community space where people take ownership in it and pride, and that may include investing in it directly, as well,” Emery said.

She highlighted examples of other seasonal markets during a presentation to city aldermen. Berwyn has brightly-colored, cottage-style shops. The McHenry Riverwalk Shoppes are more farmhouse-style.

Ultimately, Warrenville envisions eight shops on the park site.

“The structures we’re looking at are going to have a historical feel to them, and it helps to improve our awareness of Warrenville’s history,” Emery said.

The city doesn’t have a traditional downtown.

“So I think it kind of fits into this unique thing that is Warrenville, that is just different. So I'm extraordinarily excited,” Alderman Kathryn Davolos said.

The city aims to enhance the market space over time by incorporating additional public amenities, according to a memo to the mayor and aldermen.

A potential dining pavilion could complement the market and any food vendors. A multipurpose pavilion could host a range of community events. The nearby Warren Tavern, for instance, may want to use it for singer-songwriter nights, performances or poetry readings, Emery said.

“If we can partner with local community banks, who could not only sponsor a shed or a pavilion or some amenity on site, they can establish a relationship with those vendors to help them make that transition from our marketplace to a permanent storefront,” she said.

The plan is to host a preview this fall to introduce the space to the vendors and the wider community.

“We will have the concrete in place,” Emery said, adding it would be a space where vendors could bring in tents and create a pop-up, temporary market during the soft launch.

During the winter, officials will finalize the complete program, including the application process and the market’s operating hours. And next year, the market is expected to open officially.