San Francisco-based green cleaning products company Method has taken over a vacant retail space at 2034 North Halsted St. in Lincoln Park and transformed it into a pop-up boutique dedicated not only to the product line, but to the eco-friendly lifestyle the company extols. Open from September 15 to October 12, Method's "Detox Your Home" store features the full array of Method products (including the company's first book, a room-by-room guide to a healthier home) and aroma and ingredient workstations.
One of the pop-up's many green initiatives is the "Toxic Turn-In" program, where visitors can drop off their chemical-based cleaners in exchange for Method's eco-friendly versions. The company partnered with the city to have a hazardous materials crew pick up the products and dispose of them safely. Also on site: a "Cleaning Confessional," a photo booth where former chemical cleaner addicts can have their picture snapped while discussing their habit.
After store hours (daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.), a group of so-called "Method mavens"—locals who exemplify green living practices—host private parties for 15 to 20 people in the store's back space, which is set up like a home with kitchen and living room areas. These events include everything from craft projects led by green-living experts and organic cocktail-mixing classes to an evening with local design students hosted by Method's in-house designers. The candidates were found internally and through research done by A Squared Group, an experiential marketing company. "We looked for anyone who has a large circle of influence to host our private parties," said Method's grassroots guru, Anna Boyarsky. (Employees get to create their own titles.)
The "Detox Your Home" program began in Seattle last fall as a series of invite-only events held in private homes. The first pop-up boutique opened on Boston's Newbury Street in the spring after about two months of planning, followed quickly by a New York SoHo store. The Chicago iteration might be the last for a while. "We're waiting to see how the project affects sales," Boyarsky said.
