New Concept Store The Gathering Shops Opens At Garden State Plaza

PARAMUS, NJ — The Gathering Shops, a new retail concept store, has opened at the Westfield Garden State Plaza.

The store is tailored to Millennial shoppers. It features merchandise from between 15 to 20 up-and-coming designers in boutique pods. Each pod showcases a different brand. Companies can take out long- or short-term leases at the store.

"Millennials demand integrated customer-centric shopping experiences," said founder Brandt Mandia. "Our vision is to foster authentic, interactions with boutique designers and their products, while providing those designers with a distribution channel previously unavailable to them."

The store will feature regular events, presentations by designers, and runaway shows highlighting clothes, jewelry, beauty, wellness, and home goods.

"Presently, small boutique brands have limited access to nationwide mall retail, while malls lack these boutique brands," said founder Sal Martorano.

The store is located on the mall's first floor in between Justice and Finish Line.

"The center has always been an incubator for new retail concepts," said Lisa Hermann, Garden State Plaza's Senior Marketing director. "The Gathering Shops' focus on trend-setting, up-and-coming designers will fit perfectly with our dynamic, fashion-forward retail mix."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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