Pop Mart opens construction at Great Lakes Crossing, delighting Labubu fans
Pop Mart’s build-out at Great Lakes Crossing could give Metro Detroit collectors a closer shot at Labubu drops, Friday in-store releases, and mall-day restocks.
Pop Mart has begun construction at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, giving Metro Detroit collectors a new in-person target for Labubu hunting. The build-out matters because a mall store can cut down the wait for online drops and give fans a local place to check for blind boxes, accessories and fresh character releases without leaning entirely on resale listings.
Great Lakes Crossing Outlets is not a small test site. Simon describes it as Michigan’s largest outlet shopping destination, with more than 170 stores, restaurants and attractions, and other mall materials put the count at over 175 stores alongside family-friendly draws like an aquarium and a movie theater. The center opened in 1998, so Pop Mart is moving into an established retail hub with steady foot traffic rather than a brand-new development.
That kind of location is exactly where Pop Mart has been building its U.S. presence. The company opened its first U.S. store in 2023, then pushed further into mall retail in 2025 and 2026, including a permanent U.S. location at Baybrook Mall in Friendswood, Texas, with a grand opening scheduled for August 15, 2025. Mall of America also said it would become home to Minnesota’s first Pop Mart retail location, and The Toy Book said that first Minnesota brick-and-mortar shop was set to debut in fall 2025.
The bigger mall strategy is part of the backdrop here. Chain Store Age said Pop Mart was planning a major mall expansion in 2026 with Simon Property Group and would open at more than 20 Simon malls. For Labubu buyers, that usually means more chances to find new series in person, more predictable restock windows, and a better shot at buying at retail before a drop gets swallowed by the secondary market.
Pop Mart’s U.S. Instagram bio has also pointed collectors toward a specific release rhythm, with new releases in stores at 10 a.m. every Friday and online at 10 p.m. ET every Thursday. A Great Lakes Crossing store would give local fans a place to act on that schedule without waiting for shipping or chasing a late-night web drop, and the mall’s scale suggests the line for that first look at Labubu could be real.
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