design:retail - July/August 2019 - 35

"By partnering with SHOWFIELDS, these brands are able to tap into
their online community offline, and to us, that is the future"
- TAL ZVI NATHANEL, SHOWFIELDS

their own. By partnering with SHOWFIELDS, these
brands are able to tap into their online community
offline, and to us, that is the future."
In Denver's new Dairy Block, the Free Market
incubator concept serves as a cultural hub, where
innovative retail and world-class food and beverage
are brought together in well-designed spaces that
support communal activity. At Free Market, spaces
are delivered "build-ready" and tenants have access
to a number of á-la-carte support services to help
launch and operate their retail spaces. (There are
additional future locations in the works, including one at Playa Vista Runway in Los Angeles later
this year.) The Denver location offers 11,000 sq. ft.
in the downtown Dairy Block micro-district where
a community of brands with aligned values comes
together to create a special retail destination. The
Denver outpost is featuring brands such as Jenni
Kayne, AYR, Aesop, Alchemy Works, Westerlind,
Clare V., Beautycounter and Rosemont Barber
Shop. Free Market's flagship restaurant and bar is
Bruto, a collaboration with top chef Kelly Whitaker
and his team at IE Hospitality. Devocion Coffee has
also been added to the mix.
"Our hope is that Free Market lends itself to
community amplification," says Raan Parton,

co-founder of Free Market. "From gallery installations and brand activations to rotating dining
experiences, each Free Market space is tailored to
drive city-specific gatherings and interactions to
seamlessly intertwine retail, events, food and beverage into a single experience."
Denver's Dairy Block is also home to Fetch Shop,
a rebrand of Denver Flea, a concept that continues
the vision of Founder Blake Adams by providing
a brick-and-mortar store where emerging brands
can flourish and grow. Fetch Shop is described as
a "Retail Test Kitchen" and continues Adams' role
in supporting incubators and inspiring creators
in Denver. The design of the space was inspired by
the five stages of the creative process: preparation,
incubation, illumination, observation and implementation. Each area offers a unique backdrop to
abstractly represent the stages, such as white walls
contrasted with black objects in the preparation
room to emulate a sketchbook. The incubation area
has a focal wall of pink egg crates with heat lamps
and red light bulbs. This area will feature brands
in their infancy for a rotating residency program.
"Fetch Shop works with up-and-coming brands,
artists and artisans by offering them a platform
for exposure in a well-located, uniquely designed

retail and community space in downtown Denver.
Shoppers can explore products sourced from
Colorado and throughout the U.S., while also
learning more about each respective brand's story,"
Adams says. "Fetch Shop also hosts several regular event series, inviting locals and visitors to learn
a new craft (i.e. hand lettering, laser etching or
jewelry fabrication), and listen to creatives and
entrepreneurs discuss their craft in lecture and
panel-style formats." In an effort to continue
inspiring the creative process, Adams plans to
expand this concept to new markets.

Fetch Shop
PHOTOS BY RACHEL ADAMS

design:retail - July/August 2019

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