RETAIL COLLECTIVE FREE MARKET TO ANCHOR NEW RUNWAY PLAYA VISTA DEVELOPMENT

Free Market, a modern retail collective of curated brands, restaurants, and experiences, will open at Runway Playa Vista in Los Angeles this September as one of the property’s anchor tenants.

Just like its flagship location in downtown Denver, Free Market Playa Vista, designed by acclaimed L.A.-based architects Design, Bitches, serves as a retail hub that spotlights a variety of high-end pop-up and permanent shops, each curated to appeal to the digital-savvy, contemporary shopper.

Free Market has already secured a number of permanent tenants across 21,000-square-foot, open format space including California-based home retailer Alchemy Works; County Line Florals, actress Abigail Spencer’s debut flower shop and subscription service; personalized skincare brand HeyDay; and L.A.-based stationery company Urbanic Paper Boutique.

The space will also feature a number of food and beverage concepts like Joliet, a brand new bar concept from renowned bar designer and curator Ben Adams, the mind behind the Know Where Bar in Hollywood; Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, the nationally-recognized artisan ice cream and sorbet shop; and Loqui, the beloved Mexican eatery with two other locations in Los Angeles.

“After such a difficult few months and a rightful pause on retail, we’re so excited to bring Free Market to Runway,” said Raan Parton, co-founder of Free Market. “This project infuses best-in-class dining with forward-thinking retailers that have commendable corporate values, must-see products, and a community mindset. Collectively, Free Market Playa Vista bolsters pollination and discovery.”

Runway, the reimagined retail center in the heart of Playa Vista, is owned by Invesco Real Estate, a global real estate investment manager, and managed by DJM, which has been reinventing the property since 2018 to better reflect Playa Vista’s sophisticated, tech-savvy residents. Securing a tenant such as Free Market, which is reinventing the scale and design of modern retail by refreshing the open-market concept of yesterday, is central to Runway’s mission to elevate Playa Vista’s retail experiences.

“As retail continues to evolve, we’re working to bring only the most dynamic retailers and experiences to Runway,” said Stenn Parton, chief retail officer at DJM. “Free Market is one of those progressive retailers; it merges traditional retail with an innovative marketplace format that enables leading brands to coexist and benefit from shared communal space, programming and integrated food and beverage. We’re thrilled to welcome Free Market to Runway.”

The Free Market team, which includes Lindsay Parton, Raan Parton, and Paolo Carini, has collaborated on retail brands and projects such as menswear label Apolis and retailer Alchemy Works. The team’s collective 20 years experience in creative brand building, retail operation, co-working, programming, and real estate development has been integral in bringing the Free Market experience to life for consumers—first in Denver, and now Los Angeles.