design:retail - July/August 2019 - 32

BrandBox
PHOTOS BY DAVID MADISON PHOTOGRAPHY FOR MACERICH

"It's exciting to see brands reach
new audiences immediately with
the opening of a store. "
- JAMESON VALONE, MACERICH

The Gathering Shops
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GATHERING SHOPS

After investing in a small, up-and-coming apparel designer, The Gathering Shops Founder and
Managing Member Brandt Mandia and Founder
and Operational Director Sal Martorano witnessed
how difficult it was for young designers to find a
path to market, and the extensive capital needed
for them to achieve success.
"We saw there was a void in this business, and
we created The Gathering Shops to be a platform
to help all of these up-and-coming designers,"
Mandia says. "We give them an opportunity to
showcase their designs and product in a hightraffic mall without long-term commitments or
high-capital expenditures."
With its high foot traffic, New Jersey's Westfield
Garden State Plaza became the right place to introduce this innovative retail concept. The Gathering
Shops' layout includes 15 to 20 boutique pods in an
inviting and comfortable atmosphere with proper
lighting, dressing rooms and seating, as well as a
café at the center of the store. The arrangement
includes built-in sales support for the designers,
such as point-of-sale systems, staff, security and
marketing. A website and app support the physical
location, and The Gathering Shops' team support
the designers with digital marketing campaigns,
education and business counseling.
"This is re-shaping the designer point of view.
It gives them a lower barrier of entry in brick and
mortar. This is an opportunity to get consumer
feedback, tweak designs and make changes to
the product. It provides them with invaluable
exposure and feedback," Mandia explains. "It is

also re-shaping the mall owner perspective. They
have been struggling to connect with Millennial
shoppers who are shopping online for access to
up-and-coming designers. For the mall owners,
this concept offers an enticing platform that brings
in the designers that attract the desired Millennial
demographic to the mall."
The formula for success with this concept is
keeping things fresh. Every month, there are
three to five new designers and one to three events
inside the store. Consumers benefit from the
opportunity to see, touch and try on the product
in person, and to be a part of something new and
exciting. The fan base is growing, and the buzz
continues to build as consumers want to know
who is coming next and what events to put on
their calendars. The Gathering Shops concept is
gaining momentum. Due to its success at Garden
State Plaza, there are plans for two additional locations to open by the end of 2019 (including one at
Bell Works in Holmdel, N.J.).
Brand and space matchmaker pop-up go is a connector of landlords and short-term space seekers.
Zenergy Communications, a marketing and communications company, saw a void in the market,
and they responded with pop-up go. For more than
two years, pop-up go has been connecting businesses across North America, allowing people to
list, discover and select spaces that suit their needs.
According to Founder and Chief Connector
Linda Farha, "The marketplace is inundated with
available spaces, so we work with the landlords to
understand the right tenant mix for their location.

design:retail - July/August 2019

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