Photo / Renee Cordes
Interior shot of Showcase in the Maine Mall.
December 7, 2022
Squishmallows, Dope Slimes and bobbleheads find home at new Maine Mall store
Photo / Renee Cordes
Showcase's first Maine location features the hottest social media trends.
Where else could you find pouched pickles, Squishmallows, and exercise equipment in one place except at the aptly named "Home of the Hottest Trends"?
The Canadian retailer Showcase opened its first trend store in Maine at the Maine Mall in South Portland last week after undergoing extensive renovations as the prior tenants, AimPoint, had a different setup. Some walls were removed, others were added and fixtures with demonstration spaces were built so customers could try the merchandise before buying.
HPK Enterprise in Litchfield, N.H., was the contractor and the architect for the project was M creative Design Inc. of Clearwater, Fla.
All Showcase stores are between 1,200 to 1,500 square feet so it's quick and easy to shop the curated stock. Construction took just under a month so shoppers could come and find all the latest social trends on their Christmas lists, including Squishmallows, a plush stuffed animal, Funko pop culture bobble head collectibles, trading cards, Dope Slimes and more.
The store has three employees but is looking to expand the team.
"During our most recent expansion, we expanded heavily in the New England area. We went from zero to nearly a dozen stores this year, and Maine was a state we did not have a presence in and wanted to enter the market," said Samir Kulkarni, CEO of Showcase. "The demographics and co-tenants of the mall match nicely with other shopping malls we have opened in, so it made sense for us to open at the Maine Mall."
"We definitely want to better serve customers in Maine, so there will be expansion plans in the future," said Kulkarni. We typically have a concentration of stores in any given area, and Maine would be no different."
The mall store is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
With 146 North American locations and growing, Showcase operates 37 trend stores in the Northeast. By the end of the month, Showcase will have increased its store count to 150, completing the most significant and fastest single expansion in the Canadian company's 28-year history.
Founded in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1994, Showcase is an award-winning retailer, product developer and marketer specializing in new and hard-to-find trends in health, beauty, home, toys, novelty candy and food. Showcase trend stores are designed to be fun, interactive and demo-friendly. Customers are encouraged to "try it before you buy it," with the majority of products open and on display.
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