Some may see bare walls. But one San Jose, Calif., mall sees opportunity. An inside-the-mall wall of a Target store attached to Westfield Oakridge Mall is coming to life this holiday season as a roost for six locally based holiday pop-up stores. The businesses are setting up shop along the underutilized expanse between a pair of Target entry and exit points. “It was a great way to help activate that side of the center,” said mall retail leasing manager Mike Shekoyan. “Obviously, pop-ups are a big trend, and our goal is to freshen our common areas and bring in new, local and interesting products.”
The temp lineup includes Classic Loot, a seller of vintage jewelry and accessories that will do business out of its green-striped Fashion Truck, parked in the space. Among the others: Ouchii, a retailer of clothing, hats and other items featuring cartoon characters; and Poppyhearts, which sells designer hair clips and accessories. The merchants create their own designs and brands, with guidance from the mall if needed. Merchant spaces measure a modest
9 by 11 feet. “The rent for these spaces is not high,” Shekoyan said. “These are owned by folks who still have full-time jobs on the side.”
The project is an offshoot of Westfield’s budding relationship with SJMade, a San Jose, vendor platform for local retailers, designers and artisans. Already this year, six SJMade vendors occupied a space at Westfield’s Valley Fair center, in Santa Clara, for one month each as part of a test program. Oakridge is using in-mall signage, social media and local PR to promote its distinctive pop-up cluster. Oakridge’s holiday pop-up program runs from Oct. 30 to Dec. 30.
