GREAT BUY 99
To expand on Arizona’s legendary symbol Great Buy 99¢ that has become a part of contemporary Americana and a meme of 90s pop-culture we opened the Great Buy 99 pop-up store on Crosby Street in Soho, a unique retail experience that riffs on the classic New York 99¢ store, set amongst the high-profile chi chi boutiques of this luxury shopping mecca.
To fill the store, we designed a spectacular capsule collection featuring over 100 bespoke-sewn pieces, inspired by the vibrancy of AriZona’s famous checkerboard, Aztec, and cherry blossom patterns. Items included French terry hoodies, hand-dyed silk pajamas, skateboards, custom-designed Nike Dunks and Air Jordan’s, and even Brian Atwood–designed sequined cherry blossom stilettos. We also created an array of household and lifestyle items including GB99 rolling papers, ashtrays, lip balms, air fresheners, plush beach towels, pool floats, and more.
To immerse fans deeper into the brand, we created the ultimate AriZona Green Tea Cherry Blossom experience in the store’s rear. In this Instagram-friendly garden, guests could sit under a golden tea pagoda, set amongst cherry blossoms, next to a real Koi fish pond. Guests also had the opportunity to customize purchased items with onsite embroidery, or they could customize themselves with a small AriZona-themed tattoo by one of our visiting celebrity tattoo artists. By taking the key essence of the brand and permeating it through a multitude of different culturally relevant opportunities—streetwear, beachwear, lifestyle, music, and art—we aimed to reward lifelong AriZona fans while also attracting new and younger consumers.
An unprecedented 7,500 guests visited the pop-up over 6 days; the line constantly wrapped around the block, even in the pouring rain. 4,500 transactions totaled $250,000, for an incredible average of over $45 / per customer. The pop-up received press from a variety of outlets, including Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, People, Time Out, NBC, and Forbes.
“We have been stopped in the street numerous times when people see us wearing the new merch,” said AriZona co-owners Wesley and Spencer Vultaggio. “A guy on Mercer Street insisted I sell him the GB99 baseball cap right off my head,” added Wesley. “I let him have it for 99¢.”
