Hygge House Books to Pop Up at 57 E Main Street

WESTBOROUGH, MA—

The Westborough Economic Development Committee (EDC), and its partners at UpNext and the 495/MetroWest Partnership, are excited to announce the business that it will host for Project: Pop-Up, a grant funded project to activate 57 East Main Street, Unit 139, as an incubator space for emerging pop-up brands this summer. Beginning in early June, Hygge House Books will pop up in the space.

Owned by Westborough resident Beth Orsini, Hygge House Books is a cozy, pop-up bookstore that specializes in creating unique book experiences and building local literacy. The business already has deep roots in our community: residents may have seen Hygge House Books popping up at the Westborough Farmer’s Market, local businesses, such as Elsie Kaye Glassworks and the BORO Sugar Shack, and community events, like “Bookin’ it to Bay State” by Westborough Connects. Beth’s goal is to “offer fun and unique ways for people to connect and discover new reads.” Her business consistently works with schools, non-profit organizations, and local businesses to advance that mission. “We are very happy to be able to seed local entrepreneurship by creating opportunities in vacant storefronts for emerging brands to test out brick and mortar retail,” said Zach Boughner, Westborough’s Economic Development Coordinator.

First launched in 2021, Project: Pop-Up is an initiative created by our partners at UpNext to help revitalize town centers and commercial hubs still emerging from the economic effects of the COVID-19. Through this initiative, UpNext partners with municipalities to activate empty storefronts as temporary, pop-up incubators for emerging entrepreneurs seeking to test their concepts in brick and mortar retail. By offering premium space at a discounted rate to brands that want to experiment and expand their concepts, as well as providing those businesses with the resources needed to seed their success, Project: Pop-Up facilitates local entrepreneurship and innovation. Additionally, pop-up storefronts help attract new patrons to existing businesses near the host storefront.

“We are so delighted to bring this unique initiative to Westborough and look forward to supporting Hygge House Books as they test drive the retail experience within this vibrant community,” shared UpNext founder, Allison Yee.

This project is being funded by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development REDO grant program as part of the state’s efforts to accelerate economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The 495/MetroWest Partnership has played a critical role in securing grant funding for this project. Additionally, Jin Huang, the property owner at 57 East Main Street, has provided critical support and collaboration on the project.