Maple Grove’s Shoppes at Arbor Lakes Welcomes Five New Stores
Lululemon, an IKEA pop-up store, and J. Crew Factory are some of the newest additions to Maple Grove’s The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes.
J. Crew Factory, along with the Twin Cities-based Waggle golf apparel store, opened already this summer. The IKEA pop-up opens in July and will stick around for six months, while athleisure giant Lululemon and French-Asian bakery Tous les Jours will open up in the fall.
“I think we’re kind of at this spot where all our stores are doing really well,” said Linda Sell, Arbor Lakes’ marketing manager. “Customers are coming back, and they want to shop in person!”
Lululemon is one of five new stores opening this summer and fall.
Sell said she is excited for the different types of storefronts to open throughout The Shoppes.
“All of our five stores that are coming in are all a little bit different from each other. So they’re all adding to that great customer experience we want to provide,” Sell said.
More incoming storefronts are to be announced. This change is exciting for the new stores– and some that have been there since the beginning.
Sell said IKEA’s pop up is much smaller than the Bloomington location, but will offer popular selections. People can also order items online to be picked up in-store.
Future History
Tucked inside The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes is one of the original stores: Goodthings boutique, which opened in 2003.
“It’s amazing that we’ve survived through COVID,” Collings said.
Collings said her store’s watched other shops come and go, but it stayed put for 20 years. She attributes much of that to the store’s unique offerings: decor, gadgets, kids’ toys, clothes and gifts. She also said the store’s people make a difference.
“We believe in having the one-on-one personal conversation and customer service,” Collings said. “I think that’s what sets us apart.”
Collings said her favorite part of the store is its selection of kitchen gadgets.
Inside the store, both shoppers and staff are excited to see more options. Shopper Carly McDonald said she’s watched stores throughout the region close, but it’s exciting to see a revival at The Shoppes.
“I know with COVID a lot of brick and mortar stores kind of went under and were hard to stay open,” McDonald said. “It’s nice to see spaces and different opportunities come back to life.”
Collings said she’s also excited to see more storefronts join the ranks at Arbor Lakes.
“It feels good. And it’s great for business, so we are excited to see a couple of these things come through,” Collings said.
