Pop up shop Made in Queens recently opened at 27-24 Queens Plaza South, featuring local foods, fashion, art and other goods, all made in our hometown borough. We sat down with Sante Antonelli, Director of Business Services, to get a more in-depth look at the space. Here’s what he had to say:
1. Tell us about Made in Queens.
Made in Queens is the exciting new boutique pop up shop in Long Island City Queens. The community organization behind this initiative is the Queens Economic Development Corporation (www.queensny.org). We all wanted a local Queens shop where local manufacturers could finally showcase their small batch items and where we could gather as a community space around curated events. The unique aspect of our store is that it reinvents itself every month. We have a seasonal topic and a monthly theme. This season we’re in the Diversity & Neighborhoods topic welcoming the diverse walks of life that is unique to Queens. Our theme for June is “Queens has it All”, because Queens does have it all and this month we’re giving the local manufacturers a chance to discover us and come in to participate. Each month we ask a local artist or artist group to redesign the front of the store. Next month we’ve asked Teen Art Salon to help us create the theme for July and we’re excited to see their creation and collaborate with future artist groups.
2. If I am a vendor and interested in MiQ, what should I do?
If you’re a manufacture in Queens or New York and are interested in the make local, shop local, movement, sign up directly on our website and we will call you within 48 hours. www.madeinqueens.nyc. Right after that, stop in and introduce yourself, we’d like to be known for being a locally made boutique shop and are currently working on creating daily events to invite the community to stop in frequently. Relationships are important to us, so stop in and say hello.
3. Why did you pick the Court Square/Queens Plaza area?
The Court Square / Queens Plaza area welcomed us. We were approached by Gotham Realty, discussed the store concept with local stakeholders like the Long Island City Partnership and quickly decided to move full speed ahead with this great opportunity to give our local manufacturers a place where they could sell their items. We are grateful to Caital One Bank for their support, we have engaged an awesome pop-up consultant, Miles.City and every day we meet new neighborhood and Queens stakeholders that are happy that we’ve decided to move ahead with this Queens Centric community initiative.
4. When is MiQ open and where can I find more information?
MiQ is open for retail sales from 11am to 8pm Tuesday through Sunday at 27-24 Queens Plaza South. We’re bringing in new manufacturers often and changing our store design monthly giving the curious shoppers a reason to come back frequently. Please visit our website to find out more!
MiQ is located at 27-24 Queens Plaza South