Luxury pop-up mall in Sarasota adds two more glitzy, global fashion brands

A luxury pop-up mall opening this week in north Sarasota, with a Tiffany & Co. and Balmain store already part of the mix, is adding another ultra high-end brand: Dolce & Gabbana. 

The company behind the pop up, Whitman Family Development, announced the addition of the famed Italian fashion brand in a Monday news release. Whitman previously announced it will open the mini-mall, made from shipping containers and dubbed the Access Pop-up Tour, outside The Mall at University Town Center this month. Whitman owns and operates Bal Harbour Shops, the No. 1 mall in the world in sales per square foot, with $2,555.

In addition to Dolce & Gabbana, Whitman Family Development also announced that Golden Goose, a luxury sneaker brand, will join the roster of stores at the UTC Access Pop-up Tour. Other previously announced brands include Etro, Gianvito Rossi, Addict, Santa Maria Novella, Assouline, Orlebar Brown and Christofle. The nearest Dolce & Gabbana store to Sarasota is in Orlando, while there’s a Golden Goose at International Plaza in Tampa.

In an interview last month, Whitman Family Development President and CEO Matthew Whitman Lazenby said the goal of the tour, in which the Sarasota-Manatee market is the second of four stops, is to deliver luxury to markets that don’t have it nearby. Dolce & Gabbana, with a floral lace jacket with satin details on its website for $4,395, and Golden Goose, with a women’s sneaker decked out in a black Swarovski crystal star for $915, would certainly fit Whitman Lazenby’s objective.

The pop-up operation, spanning 17,000 square feet, also includes covered walkways with fans, a retractable canopy and The Whitman, a fine dining restaurant seating 150. (The restaurant and bar menus for The Whitman will be custom-made for the Sarasota stop.)

The Access Pop-up Tour scheduled an official grand opening for March 8 and will remain open through April.