Girl Scouts is more than just once-a-year cookie sales, and the organization is showing people just that, with a real estate prototype that brings Girl Scouts into retail and commercial properties year-round.
Its first DreamLab location opened in Denver last month. The space features a Girl Scouts boutique, podcast booth, bouldering wall, outdoor skills area, faux firepit and tent to practice camping skills. It also includes space for hands-on science, technology, engineering and a math center. “We really look at the DreamLab as a whole new way to experience Girl Scouts,” said Girl Scouts USA senior vice president of property strategy Anne Smith.
DreamLab hosts programming for girls and families and will create a more visible brand presence for Girl Scouts in local communities. This refreshing concept gives the organization’s 111 independent councils a space option that can complement its existing network of camps, meeting spaces and program facilities.
“As a community initiative, it’s exciting because it’s a physical experiential retail concept that allows girls to be fully surrounded in the Girl Scouts’ mission and culture and ethos while they are at the site,” said Elizabeth Hart, president of leasing for North America at Newmark. GSUSA developed the concept with Newmark and created a “future vision” for Girl Scout properties to better meet the needs of girls and volunteers. The DreamLab is a solution that brings it all together, while still maintaining a strong brand present in the community, noted Hart.
A Future Forward Prototype
GSUSA recognizes girls today have different requirements than when their mothers or grandmothers were Girl Scouts. They want more modern, tech-forward things like create videos and build rockets. “We want the DreamLab to really be a place for all girls, not just members – to reach beyond what they can do at school and home in a safe environment where they can be themselves,” said Smith.
The concept started with a portfolio assessment of properties and facilities owned and leased by GSUSA and its independent councils. “Through this initiative, we found many of these service centers tend to be inefficient and lack girl-friendly space to deliver the program,” said Smith. “In a lot of cases, facilities were inconvenient to our membership and don’t provide visibility in our communities.”
Collectively, GSUSA and Newmark came up with DreamLab, with three prototypes at 1,500, 2,500 and 5,000 square feet that also vary in layout and functionality. Each council can choose the model that best fits its needs.
In the wake of the COVID crisis, a number of councils were rethinking how they work in terms of administration staff and the need for office space. A larger DreamLab space could accommodate a conference room and workstations. GSUSA hopes DreamLabs will make Girl Scouts more accessible and visible within their communities, which in turn could increase membership and community engagement.
The Real Estate Side
GSUSA is structured as a federated model and the independent councils as individual 501(c)(3) nonprofits. GSUSA provides support and guidance via the prototype design and assisting in finding locations, while individual councils become responsible for the leases.
Newmark assists the GSUSA councils in site selection by digging into demographic data and proximity to existing members and girls of Girl Scout age within 10- and 20-mile radii of locations. Also, tapping into real estate intelligence helps Newmark to identify locations that better reach underserved communities. Among the important site-selection criteria are ease of pickup and dropoff and ability to have community outreach. “Because of that, I think retail real estate is a really good fit, although we are not looking exclusively at retail,” added Hart.
The first DreamLab concept opened in The Exchange at Boulevard One, a retail, restaurant and office redevelopment in Denver’s revitalized Lowry neighborhood. It’s co-owned and developed by Confluent Development and Kelmore Development. Confluent began the project to create a welcoming neighborhood center, and the DreamLab fits perfectly into that vision, said Confluent senior development director Nick Kitaeff. “Welcoming Girl Scouts to this community represents the continued commitment to enrich The Exchange at Boulevard One project and provide a well-rounded experience for this neighborhood,” he said.
Also, Confluent expects DreamLab to drive foot traffic and cross-shopping at nearby stores and businesses. Major tenants include Target and specialty grocer Clark’s Market. “Our vision for The Exchange has always been to provide a neighborhood gathering place so that community members can enjoy the diversity of services, products and experiences in one location without needing to drive from one destination to the next,” he added.
Although the prototype might not work for every council, GSUSA hopes to generate a larger network of DreamLabs across the country. Two more DreamLab concepts are scheduled to open this summer: Girl Scouts Louisiana East will open one at Redfish Commons in Gonzales in June, and Girl Scouts of Central & Southern New Jersey will open one at The Shoppes at North Brunswick in July. Five other councils are actively looking for locations.
“Retail landlords have been very receptive,” said Hart. “It’s a brand that everybody knows, and in general, landlords like to be associated with the mission of this organization.”
