open shop
noun
: an establishment in which eligibility for employment and retention on the payroll are not determined by membership or nonmembership in a labor union though there may be an agreement by which a union is recognized as sole bargaining agent
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Farther in the warren of the Acre Old City, theater actor Ehab Khaskiye sat outside a rare open shop. 
Felicia Schwartz, WSJ, 14 May 2021 Five tattoo artists open shop (and fight and draw impressive tatts) on TLC’s Miami Ink, a reality show that brings tattoos further into the mainstream. Paige Stables, Allure, 20 Feb. 2021 When the beloved Barneys New York shuttered in 2019 after declaring bankruptcy, leaving many vendors and collaborators unpaid, part of its liquidation plan was to open shop-in-shops at Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Steff Yotka, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2021 Davenport said that the DAC does not have authority to decide who is allowed to open shop on the property when it is completed. James Whitlow, baltimoresun.com, 19 Aug. 2020 At the few open shops, bored staff members watched movies on their phones, slept or paced aimlessly. Rachel Cheung, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2020 North Rhine-Westphalia is also allowing larger furniture retailers — think Ikea stores — to serve customers, while Berlin won’t open shops before Wednesday to allow for more planning time. Stefan Nicola, Bloomberg.com, 7 May 2020 Amid the surge in demand, fashion designer Batani-Khalfani decided to make use of all the fabric in her house to open shop. Coral Murphy, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2020 In Fisherman’s Wharf, a neighborhood popular with visitors, the few open shops included a hardware store and an In-N-Out Burger, for takeout orders only. David Ingram, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2020 See More
Felicia Schwartz, WSJ, 14 May 2021 Five tattoo artists open shop (and fight and draw impressive tatts) on TLC’s Miami Ink, a reality show that brings tattoos further into the mainstream. Paige Stables, Allure, 20 Feb. 2021 When the beloved Barneys New York shuttered in 2019 after declaring bankruptcy, leaving many vendors and collaborators unpaid, part of its liquidation plan was to open shop-in-shops at Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Steff Yotka, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2021 Davenport said that the DAC does not have authority to decide who is allowed to open shop on the property when it is completed. James Whitlow, baltimoresun.com, 19 Aug. 2020 At the few open shops, bored staff members watched movies on their phones, slept or paced aimlessly. Rachel Cheung, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2020 North Rhine-Westphalia is also allowing larger furniture retailers — think Ikea stores — to serve customers, while Berlin won’t open shops before Wednesday to allow for more planning time. Stefan Nicola, Bloomberg.com, 7 May 2020 Amid the surge in demand, fashion designer Batani-Khalfani decided to make use of all the fabric in her house to open shop. Coral Murphy, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2020 In Fisherman’s Wharf, a neighborhood popular with visitors, the few open shops included a hardware store and an In-N-Out Burger, for takeout orders only. David Ingram, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
1903, in the meaning defined above
Legal Definition
open shop
noun
: an establishment in which eligibility for employment and retention on the payroll are not determined by membership or nonmembership in a labor union though there may be an agreement by which a union is recognized as sole bargaining agent
called also merit shop
compare agency shop, closed shop, union shop