EpiCentre Kiosk Program: Retail coming soon to the EpiCentre, rejoice! 

One of the biggest obstacles is the lack of true ground floor retail space at the bottom of our buildings. We sent everything inside in the Overstreet Mall and that has killed the potential for retail with outdoor access.

However, there are steps being made to right this wrong, and the folks at the EpiCentre want to be at the forefront.

What is it?

The EpiCentre Kiosk Program is an initiative designed to bring small business owners and entrepreneurs to open sales stands scattered throughout the EpiCentre.

These small, kiosk-like booths will allow for a wide range of uses from souvenir shops to travel agency stands, to apparel and everything in between.

Cris Bremner, EpiCentre marketing manager, states “We are excited about launching this program at the EpiCentre. Retail in the Uptown area is a growth opportunity and we are really looking forward to working with small business owners.”

She hopes that this project is a catalyst to bringing retail to Uptown and that the EpiCentre becomes more than just an eating and drinking destination. The design of the kiosks will feature teak wood and metal finishes so they will blend in with the existing EpiCentre structure.

Why do you care?

If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur, it provides an inexpensive “storefront” of sorts in an area with a lot of foot traffic. Uptown retail has a “if you build it, they will come” status right now and residents are clamoring for places to shop, even if they’re small kiosks.

This will provide companies (of all varieties) to enter a market they might not have otherwise and provide them with an outlet to sell their goods/services.

If you are a pedestrian/shopper, it will give you some retail options Uptown. They don’t have any specific vendors lined up yet, but are targeting everything from local sports souvenirs to car dealerships.

Cris explained to me the vision for a business like a car dealership kiosk and it’s incredibly unique and fun. A dealership rep would be at the kiosk where you can sign up for a test drive or tour a car set up next to the kiosk. Cars would be waiting in the valet area for anyone wanting to test drive. The hope is that this will provide a low pressure environment for people to look at a car when they may not even consider visiting a dealership.

This type of creativity is what we need in the city to continue the push forward to bring retail into Uptown.

When can you use it?

They anticipate the first phase of kiosks to be open by the holiday season or early 2016. Rent has not yet been set, but will likely be around $1,100 a month.