ariana grande drew fans to a San Francisco pop-up store early Thursday, with some lining up before 1 a.m. at 71 Powell St. ahead of her sold-out Oakland Arena tour kickoff on Saturday. The merchandise stop in Union Square turned a concert launch into a shopping event before the first note is played.
Rajzay Johnson was one of the people waiting outside. “Because I love her so much… She's really the voice of our generation, so why not bask in her like this?” she said, adding, “Cause after this she may not go on a concert for a long time, so we have to be in the now.”
71 Powell St. Opens at 10 a.m.
The store at 71 Powell St. opens at 10 a.m. and is set to stay open through June 10, the day of Grande’s final Oakland Arena show. That schedule ties the pop-up directly to the Bay Area run, not just the merchandise line.
Items range from a $15 keychain to an $85 branded hoodie. For buyers, that gives the launch a clear entry point and a premium tier, which is the kind of spread that can pull in casual shoppers and the fans who want the full tour haul.
Oakland Arena Starts Saturday
The Eternal Sunshine Tour begins Saturday at Oakland Arena and runs 41 dates. Two more Oakland shows follow next Tuesday and Wednesday before Grande moves on to Los Angeles, giving the Bay Area an unusually dense opening stretch for the tour.
Mia D'Aquino said the draw went beyond the merch line. “Her vocal range is so amazing, and I think she's an amazing songwriter too. She has a lot of lyrics I can relate to,” she said, a reminder that the shopping crowd is also a preview audience for her first live tour since the Sweetener World Tour concluded in 2019.
From Wicked to the Road
Grande has recently starred in Wicked and Wicked: For Good, which helped keep attention on her during the gap since 2019. The practical read for fans is simple: if they want the pop-up, they have until June 10; if they want the show, Oakland starts Saturday and the first run is already sold out.
