Say “Hello Kitty” in Times Square while you can.
The ubiquitous Japanese brand — whose whiskered visage has adorned lunch boxes and backpacks for more than 40 years — is operating a pop-up shop on the Times Square bow tie through the holiday season.
Retail whiz Steve Russo’s FAB Starpoint, which licenses brands like Hello Kitty and Nickelodeon, opened the temporary 1,2000-square-foot shop at Wharton Properties’ 1565 Broadway in the space formerly occupied by bankrupt electronics chain RadioShack.
FAB Starpoint is planning to open a permanent Hello Kitty store at the Sky View Center Mall in Flushing, which the Blackstone Group is buying for $400 million.
Russo’s company recently acquired teen fashion chain Delia’s after the company filed for bankruptcy last year. Though FAB Starpoint is relaunching the brand as an online-only platform, the company is considering opening a pop-up store in the city in the future.