Can a Front Yard Bring the Village Back?

In most suburban neighborhoods, a corner store or small commercial space can feel years away, even when residents want places to gather and local businesses need somewhere to begin. Rather than wait for a zoning change, Lauren Penn worked with a neighbor to turn their front yards into a tiny market with a baker, a coffee roaster, artists, children selling handmade goods, and people who might not otherwise have met. The project grew out of her interest in the “missing middle” of local economies: the space between an idea at home and a full commercial lease. For parents, especially mothers, markets like this can offer a realistic way to test a business idea and earn income during a season of life that does not fit neatly into a standard work schedule.

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

• Lauren Penn (Site, LinkedIn)
• Stronger Denton (Site)
• Stronger Neighborhoods (Site)
• Pop-Up Market Makers (Site)
• How One Front Yard Became a Neighborhood Pop Up (Bottom-Up Short)
• Local Recommendations:‍
  • Thai Ocha
  • L’Amitié Bistro
  • Two Gentleman of Verona Gelato
  • North Lakes Park
• Tiffany Owens Reed (Instagram)
• Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

 

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