The Silicon Valley Giant Is the First to Announce Its Occupancy in Keller Since a Multi-Million-Dollar Restoration Began
Within months, Google phones, smartwatches, home accessories, and other items will be sold from the iconic Keller Building at the corner of Third Street and Broadway in the heart of Downtown Santa Monica. This will be one of the only Google Stores in the country and the first in Southern California.
The corporation’s retail outposts are typically creatively-designed spaces which display a wide variety of products and exclusive branded merchandise for sale, an event space for programs and educational workshops, and on-site experts for support such as Pixel phone repairs. Other IRL Google stores are located in Boston, New York City, Mountain View, CA, along with another imminent shop set for Oakbrook, IL.
Google becomes the first business to announce its occupancy in Keller since Festival Real Estate, a California-based property management company that purchased the structure in 2021, initiated a multi-million-dollar restoration of the structure. Once completed, the revitalized spot will offer ground level spaces of 6,552 sq ft and up to 22,000 sq ft on three levels for retailers and restaurants, along with a rooftop bar and dining venue with ocean views.
The Silicon Valley tech behemoth’s upcoming store replaces Cult, a once-popular eatery that formerly occupied the space until earlier this year when the restaurant shuttered its doors. According to an Instagram post by the business, the decision to close was due to a decline in business and “public safety concerns.”
“Recent developments in the neighborhood have unfortunately made it increasingly challenging to maintain an economically feasible and enjoyable environment,” the eatery’s social media post stated.
Despite Cult’s foreboding about the atmosphere of the Third Street Promenade, a range of prominent corporate brands and internationally-expanding franchises have established retail locations at the shopping district in recent months: bookstore giant Barnes & Noble, Chinese retailer MINISO, Taiwanese craft milk tea shop Odd One Out.