Anti-Valentine’s pop-up shoppe

The curious folks at Altoids opened three very temporary retail outlets yesterday, and love-lost consumers will take heart: “Sick of all the Valentine’s Day hype? Unattached and glad about it? In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, Altoids invites the lovesick, lovelorn and Cupid-wary to a sanctuary from all the romantic overtures.” Altoids Curious and Original Chocolate Shoppes have touched down in Chicago, Miami and New York, and will feature various activities, from Therapeutic Crafts for the Broken-Hearted, with free ‘Love Stinks’ needlepoint kits, to Love Lost Readings. The main feature, however, is letting customers sample new Altoids Dark Chocolate Dipped Mints, accompanied by free lattes. Careful readers will have spotted a veritable hat-trick of marketing trends here, as Callard & Bowser pack them in: pop-up retail, combined with sympvertising and topped off with tryvertising. Pop-up addresses: New York: 350 Bleecker Street, corner of W. 10th Street Chicago: 912 W. Armitage Ave, Lincoln Park Miami: 2982 Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove (Open from 8-14 February 2007.)