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Two new retailers — Banyan Box and The Wardrobe — made their debuts Thursday, Nov. 6, in downtown Cleveland’s Warehouse District as part of the Small Box project that aims to play a big role in making the city’s streets livelier and more inviting.

The Historic Warehouse District Development Corp. threw a bit of a party at 4:30 p.m. today to celebrate the opening of the two fashion and gift stores, which join existing Small Box tenant theCleveland Browns at the corner of West Sixth Street and St. Clair Avenue. The event took place on The Lawn, a pocket park that accompanies the stores and boasts furniture made from salvaged materials.

Caroline Dengel, owner of The Wardrobe, said she “wanted to be part of something great” and jumped at the chance to open the Small Box store. The store, which like other Small Box retailers is housed in a restored shipping container, is an extension of her Wandering Wardrobe fashion truck that visits events like Cleveland Flea, private parties and popular restaurants such as El Carnicero and Momocho.

“It’s a prime spot, a really exciting place to be,” Dengel said. She describes The Wardrobe’s merchandise as “fashion-forward but easy to wear.” The selections are similar to what’s found in the fashion truck, Dengel said, though given that the holiday shopping season is about to hit, it will have a heavier emphasis on clothing for parties.

Banyan Box owner Christie Murdoch was likewise eager to establish an outpost in the Warehouse District to complement her popular Tremont store, which opened 13 years ago. She said the Warehouse District store will have a similar merchandise mix to the Tremont store, but in a smaller package. The new store carries jewelry, scarves, handbags, cards and Cleveland-themed items including cocktail glasses and home decor.

The retailer added two employees, who will split their time in the Warehouse District and Tremont.

The spaces are small — 10 feet by 20 feet — but they boast stylish, efficient designs that enable the retailers to offer a good amount of merchandise without making shoppers feel cramped. Bill Sabetta, manager at Banyan, said the primary design goal for the space was “having a balance of enough product without making it feel cramped.”

For now, the two new stores are open Wednesdays through Saturdays, starting at 11 a.m., and they’re open on Sundays for Browns home games. In December, Banyan Box and The Wardrobe plan to open on Tuesdays as well.

Small Box is the brainchild of the Historic Warehouse District and Cleveland Container Structures. Last fall, they entered the Enterprise Nurture an Idea Crowdrise Challenge with a plan to turn downtown Cleveland parking spaces into retail spaces via conversions of old shipping containers.

Thomas Starinsky, associate director of the Historic Warehouse District, said Small Box attracted nearly $20,000 in donations and received a matching grant as the contest's overall winner.

He said the parking lot’s owner, Weston Inc., has donated the parking spaces for the first three boxes and the pocket park. The Historic Warehouse District hopes to add two more retail boxes next spring, Starinsky said.

It took some time to convince retailers of the concept’s merits, Starinsky said, but after positive buzz since the Browns’ store opened just before the start of the football team’s season, acceptance is building. Ashley Shaw, project manager for the Historic Warehouse District, said the organization now has a list of more than 20 retailers who are interested in opening a Small Box store.

Starinsky said a recent report from Downtown Cleveland Alliance indicating that downtown’s residential population now tops 13,000 is helping build momentum for more retail development. DCA projects the downtown population could reach 20,000 by the end of the decade — a number Starinsky said is an important marker for national retailers.