Downtown Farmington launches retail incubator to help small businesses test the leap into storefronts

This story is part of a series supported by the Farmington DDA, focused on stories shaping the future of downtown Farmington.

For many small business owners, moving from pop-up markets or online sales into a brick-and-mortar storefront can feel like an impossible next step. Major costs, long-term leases, and uncertainty often keep entrepreneurs from taking the leap.

A new initiative in downtown Farmington hopes to change that.

The Farmington Downtown Development Authority has launched The Retail LAB (Launch And Build), a retail incubator that gives emerging businesses access to a storefront through 90-day residencies. Located at 23607 Farmington Road, the program offers entrepreneurs an opportunity to test their business in a walkable downtown without committing to a traditional long-term lease.

“We’re leasing the space from the property owner, and then we’re subleasing it to entrepreneurs who are ready to take the next step into retail,” says Jessica Westerndorf, executive director of the Farmington DDA. “It could be someone who has a successful farmers market booth or a pop-up vendor… or maybe someone that has, like, an Etsy shop, and they’re ready to just kind of test the water.”

The roughly 400-square-foot storefront transforms the property owner’s underused space into a separate retail space, creating a lower-risk pathway for entrepreneurs hoping to establish a permanent presence downtown.

The concept builds on Farmington’s longstanding approach to business incubation. The city’s farmers market has helped several vendors eventually transition into permanent storefronts.

“We’ve had five or six in recent history make that leap from a successful farmers market pop-up to a brick and mortar location,” Westerndorf says. “So it’s the idea that they’re building their brand, they’re following, tailoring their business models, and then when they’re ready, they’ll make a move to a permanent brick and mortar location.”

The need for that pipeline has become even more important as downtown Farmington continues to grow. Westerndorf says the district currently has less than a 2% vacancy rate, leaving few available retail spaces.

The Retail LAB’s first resident is The Lowry Estate, a curated vintage and designer resale boutique founded by Corliss Elizabeth Williams.

“Our goal for her would be to have her here for the first 90-day lease, and then… maybe have her eventually find a long-term home in our downtown,” Westerndorf says of the program’s first participant.

Williams launched The Lowry Estate in 2015 while living in New York City, where she worked in publishing as a creative director and art director while building a following through the renowned Brooklyn Flea. After moving back to Metro Detroit, she continued growing the business through Eastern Market, social media, and a previous storefront in Farmington.

For years, Williams participated in downtown Farmington pop-up events, where DDA staff regularly stopped by her booth.

“They were always just like, ‘How can we get you downtown?'” Williams says. “Of course, in my head, like, ‘I’d love to be downtown, but I don’t have a million dollars…”

Instead of asking entrepreneurs to commit to a multi-year lease, Williams says The Retail LAB provides an opportunity to see whether a storefront fits their business.

“It couldn’t be a more perfect opportunity,” she says. “It’s a huge, huge risk, like signing a five year lease, so to kind of have DDA behind me completely and just really making sure that I’m set up for success is really a great opportunity.”

Williams says she has already seen how excited the community is to welcome the boutique downtown after revealing she had been selected as the incubator’s inaugural resident.

“Everyone was just like, ‘Welcome to the neighborhood,’ and ‘we’re so happy for you’,” Williams says. “They’re just like, ‘We’re so happy that it’s not another coffee shop.'”

Her boutique features vintage clothing and accessories from the 1970s through today alongside designer pieces, all selected with an emphasis on giving garments a second life while keeping them accessible to a broad range of shoppers.

While Williams is the first participant, the DDA envisions The Retail LAB as an ongoing pipeline for makers, artisans, vintage sellers, and specialty retailers looking to test a storefront before committing to a permanent space.

“The small business community is such an important piece of what drives people to a vibrant downtown,” Westerndorf says. “It’s the backbone of Main Street.”

Other Farmington businesses can apply for the incubator program online.