Four Mesa-based merchants join POOL

Mesa, Ariz. POOL, a community marketplace that brings together specialty purveyors, small businesses, artisans and privately owned merchants for a differentiated shopping experience, announced Friday that four new merchants will join the soon-to-open collaborative market located in a vacant Mervyn’s space.

Aspen Renee Studios, Arizona Salsa Co., Great Embroidery and Celia’s Jewelers, all of Mesa, Ariz., will open retail spaces at POOL this spring. POOL has also struck a partnership with Mesa-based Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre to share resources and bring entertainment to POOL.

“Our goal in creating POOL was to build a sense of community in Mesa and to give entrepreneurs a platform to bring their products to market,” said Skyler Hynes, co-founder of POOL. “It is only fitting that these four tenants hail from Mesa and will be able to showcase some of the community’s diverse offerings.”

A first of its kind in Arizona, POOL will feature specialty merchants selling a diverse mix of high-quality products and merchandise year-round, seven days a week. Merchants that POOL hopes to attract are a florist, a breadsmith, confectioners, those with organic products, artists, photographers and up-and-coming designers, to name a few. POOL will also be a hub of activity, with entertainment and interactive events happening weekly. Spaces within POOL will be dedicated, and in certain instances donated, to local artists, musicians, comedians, dance and performing troupes and chefs hosting cooking classes.

POOL is currently finalizing lease agreements with dozens of vendors. Located in a former Mervyn’s, POOL will house more than 100 merchants along with a restaurant in phase one, totaling 41,000 sq. ft. of space. Phase II will include the balance of the 100,000-sq.-ft.