Pop Mart, the Chinese collectible toy company that drew crowds to a single vending machine at Westfield Montgomery Mall, has opened a permanent store at the Bethesda shopping center.

The gamble paid off.

Pop Mart installed a vending machine on the mall's dining terrace near CAVA in early 2025 to test local demand. The machine quickly became a draw, particularly for the company's popular Labubu figures, with demand at times leading to sellouts and temporary shutdowns, according to The MoCo Show.

Now the company has a full storefront on Level 1, next to Bath & Body Works, in the space recently vacated by Squishable, blogger Robert Dyer reported on Aug. 23.

Pop Mart specializes in "blind box" designer toys, sealed packages that keep the specific figure inside a mystery until opened. The company, which went public in Hong Kong in 2020, has expanded aggressively in the Americas, growing from 22 stores in December 2024 to 64 by December 2025, according to Business Insider. Its "The Monsters" line, which includes Labubu, accounted for about 40% of the company's annual IP revenue in 2025.

The opening is part of a broader wave of new tenants arriving at Westfield Montgomery throughout 2026. The Sentinel reported that the mall at 7101 Democracy Blvd. is adding retailers and restaurants including Wetzel's Pretzels, Häagen-Dazs, HEYTEA, Kami Ramen, MINISO and PacSun. Zara plans to open a new two-level store in December in the former Gap and Gap Kids space, which would be the chain's first two-level location in Maryland.

Other confirmed additions include Gorjana jewelry, which is already open, and Esvin's Bagels and Cafe on the lower level. Shiki Fusion, a Japanese-inspired restaurant, opened at the mall in April 2026.

Pop Mart's Bethesda store is open now, though no grand opening event or ribbon-cutting has been announced.