Carolyn Fath
Even though the closure of anchor stores Sears and Boston Store has left a vacuum at West Towne, there is new life at the mall. The California-based pop culture retailer BoxLunch has opened there just in time for the holidays.
First off, BoxLunch doesn’t have anything to do with, well, lunch. Well, not your lunch, anyway. Read on.
“BoxLunch is the destination for pop culture enthusiasts, offering officially licensed products from all realms of fandom,” says Chris Duran, brand marketing specialist for the company. That means movies, cartoons, television shows, anime and video games. There is so much merch, covering almost every surface area, that it can be overwhelming.
Carolyn Fath
Hedwig LED lamp changes colors. Shirts and more shirts. Lunch with a Dark Lord of the Sith.
I have to admit, walking into BoxLunch made me feel a little old. There is definitely a target market here, a generation familiar with Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon and Bob’s Burgers.
But almost everyone will find some corner of pop culture that dovetails with their interests. I found the Stranger Things table. Sticky-note tabs featuring lead characters, an awesome blanket with an iconic scene from the series, a replica of a vintage book that makes you feel like you’re in Hawkins yourself, and vinyl Funko Pop! figurines in several different variations cater to the superfan.
Speaking of Funko Pop! figures, if you’re a collector or looking for a particular figure, chances are very good that you’ll find it here. The back wall supports floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with hundreds of characters from such franchises as Star Wars, The Incredibles, The Avengers, Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings and even Fortnite.
And then there’s the Harry Potter series. There’s gear and garb for fans of the books and/or movies, from chocolate wands to a Hedwig mood light. There are also T-shirts, sweatshirts, pajamas and winter hats. Official Potterheads will find delight in the Trivial Pursuit: Harry Potter edition.
I also geeked out in the Star Wars section, which could have been a little more extensive, in my humble opinion. A pillow shaped like the Millenium Falcon and the BB-8 single-serve teapot were some of the highlights for me. The super rad crock pot featuring The Last O.G. characters dressed like Luke and Princess Leia is kitschy cute (but as a cook I question its quality). My absolute favorite item in the store was the ugly sweater featuring the adorable Ewoks, which also includes lyrics to their famous victory song from the end of The Return of the Jedi. Yub nub.
The best part of the experience at BoxLunch, aside from the nostalgia triggers, is that for every $10 purchased, a meal is donated to someone in need, through Feeding America on a national level and Second Harvest Foodbank locally. To date, BoxLunch had donated more than 20 million meals. Now that’s worth purchasing an ugly sweater for.
BoxLunch
45 West Towne Mall #A-09
boxlunch.com; 608-509-9214; 10 am-9 pm Mon.-Sat., 11 am-6 pm Sun.
