Mize: How OKC Pop-Up Shops, Best Buy clicks and bricks mix for a Christmas shopping experience

Here on my laptop, click, click, click, up to the cloud goes a note to good St. Nick.

No need for bricks-and-mortar, right?

Ho, ho, uh, no. Wrong. Shopping takes all of it. And retailers need it all, especially local shops owned by local people. More on them in a minute.

"Clicks to Bricks" isn't a brand-new Christmas song. Retailers have been working out the best relationship between digital shopping and the physical-emotional experience of shopping in person for years now.

But it's playing louder in Oklahoma City this holiday season since Best Buy rolled out "the ultimate inspirational shopping experience" at 40 stores, including the one at 2135 W Memorial Road.

It's all about the experience at Best Buy's new Experience Stores, whether built from the ground up or at converted locations like the one here. Clicks start at home, or in the store, where there also are all kinds of other hands-on opportunities for getting a feel for new technology.

Holiday shopping is always an experience, and usually a fun one, even if hectic. You might even see me out there this time of year. Good idea, Best Buy, especially for folks like me whose last routine shopping for electronics was at Radio Shack.

More on that, Best Buy's innovation, in a minute. Because I'm bigger fan, and friend, of locals.

Holiday Pop-Up Shops returns to OKC's Midtown for 10th season

The Holiday Pop-Up Shops is back at Midtown, and bigger, for its 10th season. The Christmas market popped up at 399 NW 10 on Nov. 25, offering a community-focused shopping experience. The shops offer gifts for all, from clothing and accessories to home goods and children’s toys.

This year, shops open each weekend in addition to Katiebug’s Hot Chocolate, the Big Friendly Beer Bus and Curbside Chronicle’s wrapping paper. The 16 shops rotate weekly and are open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Dec. 18.

“We want to make it easy for everyone to shop local and support small businesses,” said Cléo Nash, executive director of the local, nonprofit Independent Shopkeepers Association. “By bringing more than a dozen local shops in one place every weekend, the Pop-Ups provides a central point for customers to come and mark everyone off their lists, away from the stress of busy malls or big box stores.”

For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $68 will stay in the community compared with $43 of every $100 spent at a national chain store, Nash said.

“It’s more important than ever to support our local businesses and the Holiday Pop-Ups is the perfect place to do so in a fun and festive environment,” Nash said. “Families across the state make the trip every year to create new memories, and we’re thrilled to be able to keep growing the event and continue to be part of their holiday traditions."

The Holiday Pop-Up Shops started in 2013, and is a fundraiser for the Independent Shopkeepers Association. This year’s experience is presented by Eight Twenty and sponsored by SSM Health St. Anthony, Midtown OKC, the Downtown OKC Partnership, MidFirst Bank, Heartland, Automobile Alley, and Lamar Advertising.

Now, back to the new Best Buy experience.

Best Buy Experience Store, one of 40, is unveiled in Oklahoma City

Best Buy Experience Stores aim to help customers discover, learn about and use the latest tech. (Thank you!)

"From immersive demo areas to our newest product categories, these stores offer something for everyone," the chain's Kevin Flanagan wrote in a blog post. "It’s one of the many ways we’re reimagining our stores to meet our customers’ changing needs.

"We first began testing the new store format in Houston in 2020 and later added additional pilot locations, including one in Charlotte, North Carolina. The results were clear: Customers love it."

Damien Harmon, executive vice president of omnichannel at Best Buy, gets me, and others like me, as well as seasoned technology consumers.

“For some technology, the best way to know if it’s the right fit for you and your home is to see it in person and get that immersive and inspirational experience,” Harmon said. “We wanted to give our customers the ultimate destination to discover and get expert advice on the latest in tech.”

I'll take it.

Highlights you can expect at the Best Buy Experience Store in OKC

Here are a few things customers can expect:

• Electric Transportation: "We have a wide variety of e-bikes, scooters, mopeds and electric dirt bikes on BestBuy.com, and now all of our experience stores will carry them, too. Shoppers will be able to try them out, as well check out accessories. If you need it, we can even come to your house and help set up your new ride."

• Outdoor Living and Yardbird: "People looking to expand their living and entertainment spaces beyond the inside of the house will find furniture, grills and smokers, pizza ovens, lighting and a whole lot more. Top brands include Weber, Traeger and Ooni. There will also be a dedicated Yardbird display showing select collections from its outdoor dining sets, lounge seating, fire tables and accessories."

• Health and Fitness: "Whether you’re looking for new exercise equipment for your home gym or want to check out tech for rest and recovery, we have the healthy living essentials you need, including treadmills, bikes and rowers. We can deliver and install those large fitness items right to your home, too."

• Demos: "Throughout the Experience Stores, shoppers will be able to see tech in action at dedicated showcase areas. Whether it’s learning how to set up a home workspace, matching the right Microsoft product to their needs or creating the ultimate home theater experience with the latest Epson ultra short-throw projectors."

• LEGO: "Fans of all ages will be able to get hands-on with our ever-growing LEGO assortment, featuring favorite collections like Harry Potter, Super Mario and Star Wars."

Senior Business Writer Richard Mize has covered housing, construction, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com since 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Real Estate with Richard Mize.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Best Buy Experience Store opens in OKC; Pop-up Shops keep it local