How can storefront tenants continue to support active streetscapes through a global pandemic?
In 2020, many urban retailers responded to COVID-19 closures by pivoting primarily to online sales. Treating their inactive storefronts as storage rooms – with furniture and goods pushed up against windows – often worked against activation of city streets. We helped a local Philadelphia retailer devise a QR-code-based sidewalk shopping experience allowing potential customers to interact with storefront product displays using personal smartphones.
SHOPPABLE WINDOWS
ISA + Lobo Mau / Philadelphia, PA / 2020
Lobo Mau, an eco-conscious boutique founded by Nicole and Jordan Haddad, was originally designed with windowbox displays featuring lit clothing storage compartments visible from both inside and outside. The tiny storefront just off Philadelphia’s vibrant South Street retail corridor opened just a few weeks before the pandemic, and the shop was forced to close its doors soon after opening. Rather than pushing merchandise against walls and treating the store as a glorified back-of-house, the team pivoted to treat their shop as an online sales portal, applying QR codes to their window displays and changing merchandise frequently.
The QR codes successfully translated street traffic to web sales, boosting business and building a new customer base. Neighborhood residents newly working from home and interested in finding ways to support their community became regular shoppers.
As the pandemic eased, the space continued to thrive and adapt, with customers at first invited in for solo appointments and later a full return to shopping. The strategy allowed the space to remain active and street-facing rather than contributing to the shuttering of main streets.
