Pop-Up Shops: How Todd Kenig Opens a Ricky's Halloween Store

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The hardworking man behind Ricky's Halloween pop-up shops, Todd Kenig, gets his moment in the sun in a seasonally-appropriate Times profile titled—wait for it—"Sales from the Crypt." It turns out to be surprisingly difficult to get landlords to let you sell Elliot Spitzer costumes from within their vacant storefronts, even when you're offering $50,000 (the highest he'll go) for eight weeks. Hearst, for example, staunchly refused to rent Ricky's its empty space on 57th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. If money's not the issue, Kenig says, he'll sometimes tell corporations, “I’ll write the check to your favorite charity. Or I’ll give it to Sloan-Kettering.” Halloween pop-up stores account for 20% of Ricky's annual business, so the wheedling is worth their while.
· Sales From the Crypt (or Whatever Space He Can Manage to Rent) [NYT]