As Hoodline reported, "Sézane's pop-up era in L.A. is officially over."
That summary undersells what happened at the Brentwood Country Mart this August. The Parisian brand did not simply open a store. It ended a multi-year tryout that started with a temporary shop in May 2023, ran through repeated stints that kept getting extended because customers wouldn't stop showing up, and finally closed for seven months starting in January so the space could be gutted and rebuilt as a permanent boutique. That gives Sézane a longer path from temporary shop to permanent store.
If you've walked the barn-red courtyard at 225 26th Street any time since late summer, you've probably noticed the lineup looks different than it did last year. This fall's new storefronts arrived by different routes: some followed local pop-ups, while others expanded from existing markets.
The Long Way In
Sézane's path offers an example of the pop-up-to-permanent route. The brand's Los Angeles history goes back further than most shoppers realize, with earlier test runs at The Grove and at Platform in Culver City before it ever committed to Brentwood. Once it did, the arrangement stayed informal for years. A pop-up would open, outlast its planned run because demand didn't let up, then eventually close so a newer version could try again.
The permanent store that opened this August looks nothing like those earlier iterations. Designers gave the space a "jewelry box" treatment, with glossy bordeaux lacquer, striped upholstery, and antique mirrors standing in for the more provisional pop-up aesthetic. The edit inside is intentionally tight. Only one of each piece sits on the floor, so shoppers ask staff to pull sizes from the back, a detail that signals a boutique built for a neighborhood clientele rather than foot traffic off the street. According to L.A. Magazine, the opening lined up with the brand's Fall/Winter 2026 collection launch, and Sézane marked the week with a traveling Airstream that made stops at the Brentwood farmers market and, a week later, the Hollywood farmers market, before continuing down the coast.
Three years of pop-ups, a name-brand collection drop, and a truck tour preceded Sézane's permanent storefront at the Country Mart.
The Other Way In
Not every new tenant took that route. As Modern Luxury reported, Varley, the women's activewear label founded in California by husband-and-wife team Lara and Ben Mead, skipped the pop-up phase entirely. Instead, the brand treated 2026 as a rollout year across a specific kind of property: Marin Country Mart, Fashion Island, and now Brentwood, all in the same twelve months. The interiors, designed by HÁM Interiors, lean into the same understated-luxury register the brand has used elsewhere, right down to the rotating artwork from emerging female artists.
Varley's arrival fits that expansion pattern. Orlebar Brown also expanded from existing California locations. The Chanel-owned swimwear label's new shop is its fourth California location, joining outposts already running in Montecito, Newport Beach, and Beverly Hills.
Kilte, the machine-washable cashmere label founded by Hannah Hale Redfern, opened its flagship the same season, without the years-long buildup Sézane went through. Here's how the fall's four biggest arrivals break down by entry strategy:
| Brand | Entry type | What preceded Brentwood |
|---|---|---|
| Sézane | Permanent store after multi-year pop-ups | Temporary shop from 2023, prior pop-ups at The Grove and Platform |
| Varley | Sister-property rollout | Marin Country Mart and Fashion Island openings earlier in 2026 |
| Orlebar Brown | Proven-market expansion | Existing stores in Montecito, Newport Beach, Beverly Hills |
| Kilte | Direct flagship | No prior Country Mart or nearby test run |
For a regular at the Mart, the distinction is in how these brands arrived. Sézane's permanent store followed years of pop-ups in Brentwood, while other new tenants expanded from stores elsewhere.
The Food Side Moved Too
The retail turnover had a culinary counterpart happening on a parallel track. Sora Brentwood, the hand-roll spot that built a following upstairs at The Grove, moved into a more expansive space here, with room to spread out beyond the counter-service crowding that made the original location feel perpetually packed. Up on the third floor of Brentwood Gardens, Perse opened a new Iranian dining concept with a main dining room and a separate Sunset Room built for private buyouts, giving the neighborhood a reservation-worthy option it didn't have before.
The bigger structural change came in April, when Neighborly opened its doors on a "multiple concepts, one kitchen" model. Instead of a single restaurant, the space houses several smaller operations under one roof, including Mini Kabob and What's Gaby Cooking, alongside a grab-and-go counter and a fill-your-own-bag candy bar. It's the kind of format that only works with enough built-in foot traffic to support several small kitchens at once, and its arrival five months before the Country Mart's own retail wave suggests the neighborhood's dining side moved first.
One Storefront Still Waiting
Not every announced arrival has actually arrived. A few blocks over on South Barrington Avenue, the Vietnamese phở and bánh mì concept Vui Ve has been listed as "coming soon" at the former Pita Bar + Grill storefront since a Brentwood News update in early June, and as of a September update from Brentwood News, no firm opening date had been confirmed. The restaurant, which already runs locations in Little Tokyo and North Hollywood, would mark its first Westside outpost. Right now it's taking delivery orders while the physical space stays dark.
Further down San Vicente Boulevard, The h.wood Group, the hospitality company behind Delilah and The Nice Guy, has confirmed plans for a new concept called Montana's, a speakeasy-style lounge with a country-club aesthetic and an Americana menu, taking over the former Tracy Anderson space. That one is further out, with an early 2027 target.
Which of these businesses become long-term fixtures will take time to see. The Country Mart's tenant roster has changed this year, and its storefronts are one part of the neighborhood's retail picture.
If you're curious what any of this signals about the neighborhood's long-term direction, or you're weighing a move into the area yourself, Andrea Alberts has spent years reading exactly these kinds of local shifts. Reach out for a conversation grounded in what's actually happening on the ground in Brentwood, not just what the listings say.