This week, we speak with Eldon Scott, President of Urban Space. The company was founded in 1972 in the U.K., where it developed more than 50 sites specializing in creating artisan food halls and holiday gift venues. The company is a variation of a real estate model, that seeks out under-utilized spaces, and creates a community around food and gifts.
After graduating, Scott began his career with the UK firm, learning the business from the ground up. England’s blue laws required shops are closed on Sundays — but outdoor markets, whose tradition ran back 1,000s of years, were exempt. Thus a niche opened to allow the company to create unique and innovative spaces. The UK Urban Space included project at Camden Lock, Bishopsgate, Spitalfields, Elephant and Castle, Container City, and Chelsea Farmer’s Market, where they revamped a number of derelict city spaces, and also conserving heritage buildings.
Scott left Great Britain to launch the New York City version of Urban Space in 1993 with a similar formula: he created food halls and gift fairs in locations such as Times Square, Madison Square and Columbus Circle. The firm is in the early stages of U.S expansion, looking at Chicago and the West Coast. (Transcript will be forthcoming)
You can stream/download the full conversation, including the podcast extras on iTunes, Bloomberg, Overcast, and Stitcher. Our earlier podcasts can all be found at iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, and Bloomberg.
Next week, we speak with Al Guido, president of the San Francisco Forty-Niners and Chief Executive Officer of Elevate Sports Ventures.
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