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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