new retail stores @ king of prussia as of 11/24/25

mornin’ merry makers 👗🧵💮🎀🍓🌸

first a quick apologies for the double send on thursday. clearly my time sensitive thanksgiving message wanted to get to y’all a week early…. instead of the day of.

or maybe the universe just doesn’t want me to send another email during the black friday weekend chaos?

either way, it made me decide to skip thursday this week.

now back to our regular new store programming, all about one center.

first let’s all agree that not all shopping developments are created equal.

some are fancy high street. some are sleepy regional hubs. some are tourist traps with a cinnabon. today we’re talking about one of the most notable suburban ones.

king of prussia, loving called kop for short.

philadelphia is the 6th largest city in the u.s., but this powerful retail engine isn’t actually in the city. it lives 30-60 minutes northwest, tucked into the suburbs, surrounded by office parks, major highways, & lots of parking.

king of prussia is one of those centers that proves proximity to a major city is optional when the offering is that good. brands don’t care that it’s a drive. shoppers don’t either. it has gravitational pull. like airport-strong.

aka retail gravity.

this center consistently pulls in brands, concepts, and experiences you can’t get anywhere else in pennsylvania or sometimes even the northeast.

their most recent openings show they’ve still got strong retail game

in today’s letter, you'll scroll king of prussia spots for:

→ slime

→ netflix

→ ev cars

→ italian food

→ gen z fashion

a (very) quick history of king of prussia

king of prussia opened in 1963 as “the plaza.” making it one of the oldest u.s. malls.

then came “the court” in 1981.

for decades, they were two separate malls across the street from each other in a uniquely chaotic american capitalistic retail way.

in 2016 they were connected into one seamless, absolutely enormous center.

today:

450+ stores, 30+ eateries, 6 anchor tenants
2.9 million sq ft of retail across 3 dloors
4th largest u.s. mall (after mall of america, american dream, & houston galleria)

now let’s see who’s newly opened @ 160 north gulph rd, king of prussia, pa 19406.

i’ve never been here myself, but i know it’s only a matter of time!

sloomoo

what: the interactive kids slime museum with a sloomooversity to learn how to make slime.

when: november 22, 2025

where: upper level of the plaza

neighbors: h&m, tilly’s, & eataly (see below)

why it matters:

founded in 2015 & evolved from a niche slime fandom into a national experiential brand choosing heavy-foot-traffic malls for expansion.
opening on the same day as their new boston location, bringing them to 7 cities in total (nyc, la, chicago, houston, & atlanta)
this if their 1st indoor mall location & shows kop is doubling down on retailtainment for the entire family.
makes me nostalgic for nickelodeon’s neon green slimings

netflix house

what: the 100,000+ sq ft immersive venue bringing sets, games, dining, & merch from hit netflix series

when: november 12, 2025

where: former lord & taylor anchor on mid & upper level

neighbors: neiman marcus, untuckit, & warby parker

why it matters:

the first ever dedicated long term lease by netflix with location #2 coming very soon. the galleria dallas on 12/11.
another commitment to retailtainment (a trend i successfully predicted we’d see a lot more of in 2025)
crazy to think they’ve been around since ‘97, started with dvd-by-mail, then dominated streaming, & now getting physical in a way blockbuster could never.
taking an anchor space of is a big signal for the future of empty anchor spaces.

rivian

what: the electric-vehicle brand making showrooms feel like adventure labs

when: “coming soon”

where: mid level

neighbors: apple, eataly, lego, & tesla 👀

why it matters:

a car brand in a mall might have seemed wild 15 years ago, but today it’s becoming more common & stategic to capture the captive traffic.
rivian is up to 88 locations across the u.s. & canada, fast approaching 100 stores. for context, tesla is almost up to 300 stores.
rivian operates 3 retail formats today: educational spaces, charging outposts, and service + demo centers.
more than ½ of fleet includes service centers which i think is critical for their business model (& a mall is a great place to be while you wait!

eataly

what: the italian marketplace + restaurant hall known for pastas, produce, panettone, wine, and sensory overload (yes not typical retail, so sharing out of my own love)

when: october 2, 2025

where: mid level of the plaza

neighbors: h&m, rivian, & apple

why it matters:

founded in 2007 in turin → expanded globally by turning food into theater with bars, restaurants, classes, & groceries. great for dwell time & repeat visits.
this is their 14th location in the us with 11 more around the world. i completely missed they grew this much. all the way up to 25!
eataly doesn’t open just anywhere. they choose high-density, high-spend, high-traffic markets. this isn’t their first mall location so clearly northpark, short hills, westfield valley fair, & hudson yards are performing well.

edikted

what: the trend-driven, gen z fashion label big on streetwear and social commerce

when: november 15, 2025

where: mid level of the plaza

neighbors: eataly, h&m, rivian, & apple

why it matters:

founded in 2011 as a digital-first fashion brand pronounced like addicted in case you were wondering…
same week they’re opening in tysons corner & aventura mall, bringing them to 11 locations (fashion valley in sd, the grove in la, irvine spectrum in sd, glendale in la, roosevelt field in li, soho in nyc, mall of america in mn & town center in boca raton)
this is really fast growth to have all occured since november 2023!
tbh this brand was new to me until this week, from initial glance i feel like this is to genz what delia*s + wet seal + vs pink were for millennials. miss those days.