Notes · James Andrew Smith
Build it before you build it.
The post
Build it before you build it. Beyond Yoga is doing exactly that in New York.
The situation: New York is one of its biggest online markets, and it still has no permanent store there.
What happened: in September it opened a pop-up in the Flatiron District, with a studio for classes, open through January. It follows a pop-up nearby in 2024. CEO Nancy Green told Retail Dive a permanent home will come, and called the pop-up “a great way to explore and to learn”.
Why it works: a lease is a long promise made before you know the street. A pop-up lets the city answer first: which sizes sell, who comes in, what they ask for, which hours are busy.
The move I’d make: write down before opening what the pop-up has to prove, and what would change the permanent store. Then read it every week, not in January.
What would your next store need to prove before you signed for ten years?
First published on LinkedIn, 26 October 2026.
The cards
