Allison Yee Is Reimagining Retail by Turning Spaces Into Opportunities for Entrepreneurs
Through UpNext, Project: Pop-Up, and The Retail Playground, Allison Yee is building a new model for entrepreneurship. One rooted in access, collaboration, and community impact.
Through UpNext, Project: Pop-Up, and The Retail Playground, Allison Yee is building a new model for entrepreneurship. One rooted in access, collaboration, and community impact.
THE EDITORIAL NEWSROOM
Next On Scene Media Team
August 10, 2026
Through UpNext, Project: Pop-Up, and The Retail Playground, Allison Yee is building a new model for entrepreneurship. One rooted in access, collaboration, and community impact.
For many entrepreneurs, the dream of opening a physical storefront feels like the ultimate milestone. But behind that dream comes a reality that can feel overwhelming: long-term leases, significant financial investment, and the pressure to know exactly where, when, and how a business will succeed.
After more than 15 years working across retail, buying, marketing, and real estate development, Allison Yee saw a major gap in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Talented founders were creating incredible products and brands, but the traditional path into retail often required taking a huge risk before they had the opportunity to test their ideas.
That realization became the foundation for UpNext, a company built around one powerful idea: creating more accessible pathways for entrepreneurs to grow.
Photo Credit: Rachel McPherson
“I founded UpNext because I saw firsthand how many talented entrepreneurs had incredible businesses that deserved to be seen, but the path to a physical storefront was simply too difficult," Allison shares.
Through pop-up experiences, UpNext gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect directly with customers, test new markets, gather feedback, and discover what comes next without the burden of immediately committing to a permanent location.
But what started as a way to make retail more accessible quickly evolved into something much bigger.
The vision for UpNext extends beyond simply filling storefronts. It is about building an ecosystem where everyone benefits.
Entrepreneurs gain access to opportunities that may have once felt out of reach. Property owners activate underutilized spaces. Communities strengthen their local economies. Shoppers experience the creativity and innovation happening within their own neighborhoods.
At its core, UpNext is about expanding access and creating connections.
Photo Credit: Rachel McPherson
From Corporate Innovator to Entrepreneurial Advocate
Before launching UpNext, Allison spent years working across multinational companies, venture-backed startups, and entrepreneurial ventures of her own.
Long before “side hustle” became a common phrase, Allison was always building, experimenting, and looking for ways to innovate. She describes herself as an “intrapreneur”, someone who brings entrepreneurial thinking into existing organizations.
While those corporate experiences provided invaluable lessons, they also revealed the challenges that can come with traditional structures.
“I often found myself running into layers of red tape, lengthy approval processes, and internal politics that made it difficult to bring those ideas to life,” Allison says.
Those experiences ultimately shaped the type of company she wanted to build.
UpNext was created not simply as a service provider, but as a true partner for entrepreneurs designed to remove barriers, create meaningful relationships, and open doors.
Her leadership philosophy reflects that same approach. Allison believes the strongest organizations are built when people feel trusted, supported, and empowered to bring their full selves to their work.
Creating Confidence Through Opportunity
One of Allison’s proudest accomplishments is not just the number of brands UpNext has supported, but the transformation she sees in entrepreneurs themselves.
Through Project: Pop-Up, more than 75 emerging brands have activated across Massachusetts, gaining something every founder needs: confidence.
“Success isn’t about pushing every founder toward a storefront,” Allison explains. “It’s about giving them the opportunity to test, learn, adapt, and make informed decisions about what comes next.”
One example began with the very first Project: Pop-Up experience in Lowell during the holiday season of 2023.
Two local entrepreneurs, Bernard and Ken, entered the program with individual businesses focused on sustainability. One centered around apparel and accessories and the other around candles and apothecary products. Through collaboration and experimentation, they began inviting additional makers into the space, creating something bigger than either business could have built alone.
That experience eventually led to the creation of Lowell General Store, a permanent destination showcasing their brands alongside other local entrepreneurs.
Another example is Creative Chaos Emporium in Wakefield, where founders were able to test their vision for a creative reuse art supply shop through Project: Pop-Up before growing into a destination that attracts visitors from across Massachusetts. For Allison, these stories represent the true purpose behind the work.
“It has never been soley about filling vacant storefronts,” she says. “It’s about creating the conditions for entrepreneurs to discover what’s possible.”
Photo Credit: UpNext
The Power of Unexpected Partnerships
One of UpNext’s most innovative collaborations has been with The Village Bank, demonstrating how organizations can use their existing resources to create meaningful community impact.
Together, they created The Village Shop, a retail incubator integrated into bank branches where emerging entrepreneurs can launch and grow their businesses without the traditional costs associated with retail space.
The partnership represents a larger vision for the future of community-building.
“All organizations have spaces, audiences, and resources that could be activated in entirely new ways,” Allison says.
She believes this model can extend far beyond banking from universities and healthcare organizations to residential developments, hospitality businesses, and corporate campuses.
The future of placemaking, in her view, is about transforming existing spaces into opportunities.
Building Community Beyond the Pop-Up
In 2024, Allison launched The Retail Playground, a community designed to support entrepreneurs beyond a single activation.
After years of working alongside founders, she noticed that some of the biggest breakthroughs happened not through formal programs, but through conversations between entrepreneurs themselves.
Founders shared lessons, celebrated wins, discussed challenges, and connected one another to resources.
“The Retail Playground grew from the belief that community shouldn’t be left to chance,” Allison shares.
The platform provides entrepreneurs with education, expert guidance, resources, and most importantly, a network of people who understand the journey.
“It isn’t about collecting business cards,” she says. “It’s about building genuine relationships rooted in generosity, curiosity, and shared experience.”
Creating a Legacy of Possibility
As Allison looks toward the future, her vision for UpNext centers on continued connection. Bringing together entrepreneurs, organizations, and communities in ways that create opportunities nobody could have predicted.
She hopes that a founder might discover UpNext through Project: Pop-Up, continue growing through The Retail Playground, build meaningful relationships, and eventually become a mentor for another entrepreneur.
That ripple effect is the legacy she wants to create.
“To me, building a meaningful business legacy is about creating something that continues to create opportunity long after you’re gone,” Allison says.
As a mother, entrepreneur, and community builder, Allison hopes her work inspires others to challenge traditional paths, embrace creativity, and recognize that opportunity can be created, not just found.
“If we’ve helped founders believe in themselves, inspired organizations to think differently about how they use their resources, or encouraged communities to invest more intentionally in local businesses, then we’ve done something meaningful.”
Through UpNext, Allison Yee is proving that when people, spaces, and ideas come together, the possibilities are limitless.
Founder Editorial Interview: Allison Yee
Allison Yee is the Founder and CEO of UpNext, a Greater Boston-based business redefining how brands launch and grow through pop-ups, creative activations, and thoughtful partnerships. Since 2018, UpNext has connected brands, spaces, and communities in meaningful ways, helping entrepreneurs take small, strategic risks with big impact.
Photo Credit: Rachel McPherson
In 2021, UpNext launched Project: Pop-Up, a groundbreaking initiative that has transformed underutilized spaces into thriving retail incubators. Since its inception, over 75 emerging brands have popped up in locations across Massachusetts, with partnerships spanning 12 municipalities and 20 storefront locations.
Building on this momentum, Allison and her team introduced The Retail Playground in 2024, a dynamic community designed to fuel innovation, collaboration, and growth for independent retailers and brand founders. Through masterclasses, interactive events, and hands-on business support, The Retail Playground equips founders with the tools and connections to scale in an evolving industry.
Prior to becoming a full-time entrepreneur, Allison spent over 15 years in buying, marketing, and management, working across multiple facets of retail and real estate development. Before founding UpNext, she led retail incubation efforts at WS Development, where she helped incubate local and emerging brands across their national portfolio.
Passionate about empowering women entrepreneurs, Allison believes in lowering the barriers to entry for founders by providing access to resources, real-world learning opportunities, and a supportive business community. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Charles River Regional Chamber, where she co-chairs the Retail Collaborative, advocating for small business growth and vibrant local economies.
Allison holds a BA in Communications and Fashion Entrepreneurship from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from Babson College. She lives in Newton, MA, with her husband and three young children.
Follow Allison and the UpNext community:
Instagram: @theallisonyee.
UpNext: poppingupnext.com
Project: Pop-Up: project-pop-up.com
The Retail Playground: theretailplayground.com
The Village Shop partnership: the-village-shop.com
August 21st, 2026 at 6:57 am
I’ve already recommended this to my team.
August 22nd, 2026 at 12:00 am
Very well written and informative. Keep up the great work.