is the only one still around; its lease runs through February, but O'Dorisio hopes to stay there longer. The other two stores that opened over the summer, Travel Posters, which sold products with artist Blair Hamill's designs of famous locations, andA fourth pop-up,outdoor art installation at 640 16th Street this week. The installation shows videos of dancers on the windows of the storefront; some of the windows also have banners with big printed pictures of the dancers.
Blair and Lauri Hamill, the owners of Travel Posters, say they decided not to keep the store after the lease ended because there wasn't enough traffic on the mall."The customer-to-sale ratio was good, but there were not enough customers coming in the door," Lauri says. Mondays and Fridays were particularly slow, Blair says.Even with free rent, it was difficult to keep up with the cost of electricity, employees and miscellaneous fees.
Unlike the Hamills, Tae and her husband, Rod O'Dorisio, say they've been pleased with the level of in-person business they've gotten on the mall."We've been growing every single month," Tae says."Now that it's cooler and with convention season, it has really picked up." They think hot drinks will be a big draw in November and December, and their tea selections and bento boxes make popular gift items, Tae adds.