The Downtown Central Business Improvement District launched DTLA IRL, a retail experience that kicked off the holiday shopping season. The experience is a permanent pop-up retail shop in the financial district and an extension of downtown's Pop-Up Connect Retail program. The goal of the program is to promote the retail experience and culture in Downtown Los Angeles and forge partnerships with retail owners. The market's retail sector has had a strong year with a string of recent leases from major retailers, including Apple and West Elm. "We are taking over the ground floor retail spaces of the L.A. Athletic Club and turning it into a multi-faceted pop-up space. One part of the experience is a DTLA Visitor's Center with information about downtown, and every day there will be special treats and experiences," Nick Griffin, executive director of the DCBID, tells GlobeSt.com. "It is really a stop-in and recharge spaces while people are shopping. The second piece of it is a pop-up store with Downtown Los Angeles-related retailers, artisans and vendors. Then, the third piece is an event space with movie nights and Karaoke nights." The DCBID has been integral in fueling growth throughout the market, and this is another step to show both retailer and retail owners the value of investing in a quality retail experience. "We have developed a list on our website of spaces that are available for pop-ups, and we are marketing that list out to brands and start-ups businesses to do temporary shops," says Griffin. "We decided to do this one ourselves to show how it would work. We feel like there is a lot of retail momentum, and we want to be part of keeping that going." While this the pop-up experience is temporary—running through the end of the month—in the long run, it is meant to stimulate more retail leasing activity. "As much amazing growth as there is, there is still a huge amount of opportunity. There are still retail corridors that aren't up to their potential. Broadway, for example, is a goldmine waiting for the dominos to start falling. I think that Apple and West Elm are exactly those dominos, and I think this year, you are going to see leases in both directions from top national brands. The DTLA event kicked off without a hitch. Scroll through the photos above to get a look at the event.