With Pop Mart opening a San Francisco Union Square location, people who collect Labubus will have one more place to get the plush dolls.
Pop Mart had its soft opening in Union Square Monday, and it was packed with people wanting to buy their merchandise. Kelly Albers was one of the first people to see the new store and check out the selection.
“It’s just a little bit of happiness in a figurine,” Albers said, describing the Labubus. “They’re a little quirky, sometimes scary at times, but they’re really popular.”
They are so popular that some of the rarer ones have resold for thousands of dollars. The Labubus have drawn long lines and even fights at the existing store in Stonestown Galleria. Albers already has a few of them.
“I have this purple one right here, which is my personal favorite out of the collection,” Albers said while pointing at a plush Labubu.
The plush collection is the most popular and isn’t currently available at the Powell Street location, but you can order it online and pick it up at the store. The boxes are all the same, so you don’t know what’s inside until you open it.
“Opening something and getting what you wanted to begin with is always a huge adrenaline rush,” Albers explained about the experience of unboxing one. “It gives you a boost of serotonin that a lot of things these days don’t really give you.”
In its first day, Pop Mart saw a constant stream of customers looking to get their own mystery boxes. It’s something CEO of the Union Square Alliance, Marisa Rodriguez, was excited to see.
“Who knew that a Labubu would be the thing that draws people back downtown, whatever it takes, we’re in for it,” Rodriguez stated.
Rodriguez said the square lost a lot of businesses during the pandemic, leaving many empty storefronts, but that’s turning into an opportunity.
“We are coming out of COVID; it was certainly a difficult time here in the square, but the silver lining in all of this has been an opportunity to curate whatever it is that the demand is,” Rodriguez explained.
They are trying to get a better understanding of what people want to see at brick-and-mortar businesses. She believes people want luxury goods, more food and restaurants, as well as unique retail experiences, and that’s the category Pop Mart falls in.
“As an adult, adulting is really hard, and I feel like these bring sort of nostalgia back,” said Albers. “It makes me feel like a kid again, and I think I’ve missed that feeling for a long time, and this reignites this love.”
Albers hopes more people feel that love and support the resurgence of businesses in Union Square.
“I’m really excited that the store is open,” Albers stated. “I hope it brings more people to Union Square. As a San Franciscan, I love seeing new stores pop up, and I really hope it’s successful.”