Holiday Season Delivers Downtown's First Retail Pop-up Shop

Mountain View, Calif. - The City of Mountain View is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of MOMENT Mountain View, a one-year retail pop-up program designed to activate a vacant Downtown Mountain View storefront. In collaboration with MOMENT, the pop-up shop will open at 293 Castro St. on the weekend of Dec. 20-21 under the shared retail banner of "Don't Eat Me."

The pop-up features four creative small businesses, which are:

• Art by Julia - cozy, nostalgic hand-drawn illustrations by a Taiwanese American artist
• Derptiles - art and merchandise celebrating reptiles, amphibians, and other niche animals
• Karepango - an AAPI-owned apparel and lifestyle brand offering bold illustrations and positive messaging
• Notebeans Stationery - stationery and art products that blend creativity with humanitarian causes

"We are thrilled to welcome MOMENT Mountain View to our Downtown this holiday season," said Mayor Ellen Kamei. "We've heard from our residents and businesses alike about the need to address vacant storefronts, especially in the Downtown core. Now, we're seeing results through the City's retail pop-up program. We invite more property owners to take advantage of this revitalization effort. We can't wait to see you Downtown!"

"As a long-time property owner, our family has consistently endeavored to contribute to the vitality of Downtown Mountain View," said Nancy Gee, property owner of 293 Castro St. "Long ago, we made a deliberate decision to encourage a diverse range of businesses on Castro Street, beyond just restaurants and food establishments, to ensure that visitors would not merely eat and depart. Regrettably, the pandemic, the overall shift towards online commerce, tariffs, and general economic uncertainty have posed significant challenges for small business retailers in the past few years. We were happy that the City of Mountain View recognized the need to change the traditional permitting processes and were willing to work with MOMENT to allow for pop-ups. We all hope that this is a successful model to bring more small businesses to Mountain View."

Soft launching during the weekend before Christmas, MOMENT Mountain View Pop Up Program will be open with limited weekly operating hours ahead of the Grand Opening in early 2026. This initiative has been more than a year in the making and marks a significant milestone in the City's ongoing efforts to address commercial vacancies.

"Reducing commercial vacancies is a top priority for the City and our community," said Community Development Director Christian Murdock. "Property-owner participation has been critical to making this project possible. This collaboration with the property owner and MOMENT highlights the value of public-private partnerships in strengthening the Downtown's vibrancy."

"This activation will bring new energy, foot traffic, and local entrepreneurship into Downtown, which supports the broader revitalization goals of the Economic Vitality Strategy," explained Economic Vitality Manager Amanda Rotella. "By transforming an underutilized storefront into a dynamic, creative space, this pop-up helps advance our goals of strengthening small businesses, fostering unique and memorable visitor experiences, and ensuring Downtown remains a welcoming, vibrant destination for the community."

Addressing vacancies remains a top priority for the City and the community, and the City has been proactively advancing a range of strategies to strengthen Downtown vitality. These efforts include placemaking improvements such as games and colorful seating, small business grant programs, zoning updates to support new business attraction, and a growing lineup of events. The "Don't Eat Me" pop-up aligns with these broader initiatives by demonstrating how creative activations can transform underutilized spaces and uplift local entrepreneurs.

The "Don't Eat Me" pop-up will join a diverse list of new businesses to open in Downtown this year, including MadeBy (279 Castro St.), a DIY craft studio, and three new Castro Street restaurants: Fish By You (156 Castro St.), Nick the Greek (298 Castro St.), and Mr. Bao's Kitchen (357 Castro St.).

For more information about resources for business, visit the City's Economic Development website.