eric ho

[ny, ny]

intro’d to Eric here:

Eric Ho tries to make use of vacant storefronts in a way that “benefits the community.” His venture, known as MiLES, is sponsoring a series of seven pop-ups on Delancey Street.

he saw vacant storefronts — more than 200 of them in the area east of the Bowery and south of 14th Street.

There’s all these people who want space,” he said. “And there’s all this space. There must be some way to bring them together.”

he quit his job and launched:

Instead of the usual pop-up store from retailers looking for buzz, Mr. Ho’s pop-ups will house organizations that might not be able to afford permanent retail space in the neighborhood — a mix of nonprofits and for-profits, none with big budgets. Tenants will range from a syringe-exchange program for homeless transients to an online community of knitters.

miLES site: