When a Small Shop Leads to a Big Idea

Hi! We’re David & Stephanie.

We are a husband-and-wife team who wear many hats: architects, designers, developers, landlords, and overall creative entrepreneurs. We seek inspiration through travel both near and far, and we find we are at our best when we are making things, solving problems, and getting dirty in the process.

The concept behind Nimble Shop was born back in 2006, while David was visiting Portland with the architecture office he worked for at the time. While touring the city on foot, he stumbled upon a tiny retail space that stood out for him because of its scale and simplicity. 

Intrigued by the space which was then an apothecary, David kept up with it over the years, watching as it hosted a variety of small businesses – a bookstore, a bike shop, a hat shop. 

It was fascinating to watch this tiny space transform, serving as an incubator for multiple small businesses. Despite its size, the small shop had a big impact on the street’s pedestrian experience.

It was impressive to see how well a brand could be showcased in such a small space. 

Later, having traveled extensively around Europe and living in New York City, we realized that small shops weren’t a new or rare phenomena - they’ve actually been a mainstay on downtown and commercial streets for centuries. 

It wasn’t until fairly recently, during the post-war era in the U.S. that the “bigger is better” mentality erased these small shops by combining small storefronts together to create larger stores and spaces. These bigger spaces are, of course, more expensive, which means there are few places for newer and smaller businesses to launch their concepts. 

Fortunately, there’s growing movement in support of smaller neighborhood businesses. Folks are feeling called to separate themselves from the corporate grind, fulfill their creative passions, and ingrain themselves within their communities again. Consumers, in turn, recognize the value in these local makers and are more than willing to support their neighbors’ crafts and services.

This journey has made it clear to us that there’s a gap in the marketplace for small retail spaces – a gap that isn’t being filled by traditional development. Nimble Retail seeks to fill that gap for both entrepreneurs and communities at large by supplying smart, well-designed spaces for this re-engagement of community and local commerce.

If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity that’s just the right size for your small business, Nimble Retail was created for you. Click the ‘contact us’ button below and  Share your story with us.

We can’t wait to hear from you! 

Sincerely, 
David & Stephanie