Oct. 6—ROCHESTER — A new pop-up shop is adding some light and creativity to Rochester’s downtown for the next few weeks.
Designer and residential contractor Dara Kautz opened socius design this week as a street-level shop inside
Fagan Studios
at 324 South Broadway Ave. It will be open through Oct. 18 with the store hours posted on
her website.
Customers will find a wide variety of home decor, much of it designed by Kautz. Her path to opening a storefront has its origins amid construction projects.
As a licensed contractor who oversees home remodeling, she started designing and making unique lighting pieces.
“I have collaborated with a local glassblower here in Rochester. I feature several of those pieces in the shop,” she said. “I have vintage handmade rugs sourced from Morocco and Turkey. I have a linen collection made by Madre Linen that I helped design.”
Kautz’s shop also features handmade beeswax candles as well as remodeling materials such as paint, wallpaper and cabinet hardware.
“The idea is that I can be a resource for people, even if I’m not the one doing their remodeling project. I’m someone people can come to for ideas or to source products that you couldn’t necessarily find at Home Depot or Menards … something that’s maybe a little bit more unique,” she explained.
Kautz decided to try a temporary pop-shop as her search for a permanent Rochester location for her business has not been successful.
Shawn Fagan, who owns Fagan Studios in the 150-year-old Broadway building, thought the timing was good to use this spot as a launching pad for Kautz.
He cited the recent success of restaurants, like
Marrow
and
Our Paladar,
that started as pop-ups.
Fagan described hosting socius design as part of the “continuing efforts to support more life and ‘things to explore’ in downtown.”