mornin’ merry makers 🧊📺🧘

earlier this week, i shared 3 of my 6 spicy store predictions for 2026 focused on the wellness takeover.

stores becoming front doors to healthcare. shopping informed by biomarkers. community replacing ads.

today, i want to take that one step further.

because as wellness moves into retail, it doesn’t just change what stores sell. it changes what stores feel like. how often we go. how long we stay. and why we keep coming back.

this second half of my 2026 wellness predictions is all about the experience layer. the rituals, the content, and the calm.

the stuff you don’t always see on a floor plan, but absolutely feel in your body.

let’s get into it.

the smartest retailers aren’t chasing one-off visits. they’re earning a recurring spot on the calendars of adults and families.

it’s experiential retail becoming part of life.

we’ve seen this already with fitness, but we’re seeing it evolve more into other “classes” too. biohacking for brunch. saunas for happy hour. recovery for routine self-care.

it’s emerging more for families too.

the camp store isn’t a pop-in. it’s something parents plan around. the themes change, the story resets, and suddenly a store becomes a monthly tradition. same with sloomoo. it’s not about slime. it’s scheduled joy. sensory play that helps kids (and probably adults) leave calmer than they arrived.

all these places thrive with a sticky ritual whether it be from sweat or slime.

the best retail moments shared online this year weren’t ads or outfits of the day.

they were series that took place in stores.

brands are treating stores like sets and launches like episodes. product drops are turning into series. store openings into premieres. shopping into entertainment.

somewhere right now, a store associate is filming a low-stakes, high-charm video that will outperform a seven-figure media buy. & that’s the point.

brands hire employees to be brand ambassadors on the floor so only makes sense to star them on their feeds too.

i hope someone makes the retail world a la real world on mtv (rip).

for years, retail chased stimulation & sensory overload.

but now retail therapy is getting real as it chases nervous system regulation.

stores are being designed to soothe instead of shout. lighting, scent, seating, sound. all optimized to make your nervous system unclench.

welcome to the era of the soothing social spot.

we want to relax in places that aren’t just loud bars and busy restaurants.

this is amplified by how hybrid social wellness is quietly booming. think sauna plus community. stretching plus membership. breathwork plus belonging.

pure-play meditation struggled including mndfl in nyc (where i got my meditation teacher training). i think this is because people need the social plus.

the brands that help people leave feeling better will win more time than the ones chasing the fastest conversion.

when i step back and look at all six trends together, the shift becomes really clear.

retail is moving away from one-time transactions
& toward transformations over time.

in part one, we talked about retail stepping in where healthcare falls short. helping people build healthier habits, understand their bodies, and show up consistently. part two is what happens once that trust is earned & kept.

stores stop being places you visit once and become places you return to. they become part of your routine. your week. your life. the employees become your friends. the fellow customers become your community.

retail isn’t competing for attention anymore. it’s competing for presence. for repeat visits. for a recurring spot on your calendar.

the stores that win in 2026 won’t be the loudest or the most optimized for a single sale. they’ll be the ones that help people feel better over time & earn their way into everyday life.

that’s retail glowing up & growing up. tbh i think it’s healthier for all of us.

p.s. be sure to tune in on monday for a very special edition of merry makery that legitimately would not be the same without this very merry partner 👇