Yoga lovers, rejoice: preparations are underway for a Lululemon pop-up shop on Archer Road.
The women’s athletic-leisure clothing store is projected to open in July. The pop-up shop will move temporarily between Alumni Hall and Zoe's Kitchen, where Pink Narcissus is currently located, at 3730 SW Archer Road, said Mary Reichardt, the marketing director at Butler Enterprises.
Pink Narcissus is scheduled to open a new permanent location on May 15 at the new Butler Town Center, located at 3597 SW 32nd Court, Suite 50.
Reichardt said the purpose of this shop is to test the market, and if they do well at this location, Lululemon may look for a more permanent location within Butler Plaza. The current lease will last for six months, but there will be several extension opportunities.
Based on ongoing requests from Gainesville residents, Reichardt and others at Butler Enterprises have been reaching out to Lululemon for more than a year to the company to take a look at the market in town. After some examination, Lululemon executives responded they like Gainesville’s demographics and the fact it is a university town, Reichardt said.
“They like a health-conscious family community, and there's a lot of yoga here, so it definitely has all the elements,” Reichardt said.
Though for now this will only be a pop-up shop the square footage of the store is very close to that of a normal store, Reichardt said.
“They really want people to see the best side of the brand,” Reichardt said.
