Donor Spotlight >> 

Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza 

Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza joined as a Pretend City advocate by participating in several events in 2023 and with a grant from their corporate foundation. Upon visiting the museum, the Bloomingdale’s team from Community Relations was enamored.  The Bloomingdale’s brand places a high value on family, and the museum’s ability to bring the community together for a fantastic experience was truly inspiring, said Leahann Miller, Marketing and Events – California, Hawaii and Seattle.  

Youth empowerment is a fundamental value of Bloomingdale’s. Witnessing children explore the museum and engage in role-playing activities that facilitate learning is a testament to this principle.

Bloomingdale’s has a Baby Hard Goods and Clothing department, and during a recent promotion partnered to distribute Buy One Get One Pretend City tickets to customers to share the museum’s early childhood development opportunities. At Bloomingdale’s, our values reflect our unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion. We prioritize building meaningful relationships with our customers, partners, and colleagues, both within and outside of our stores, to foster a sense of community. Our engagement with the communities we serve is pivotal, and we strive to understand and prioritize what matters most to our customers.

Melody Yu, Director of Selling and Talent Development, and her children have become fond of Pretend City through the partnership. I am so proud to work for an organization that values early childhood development. Both of my young children struggled with the development of their social skills coming out of the pandemic. Pretend City has provided them with a space where they can not only use their imaginations, but they have been able to interact with some of their friends and meet new ones. It’s been amazing watching their development with each visit to the museum and their interactions with a diverse group of children.

Bloomingdale’s supported Pretend City’s Start Smart Luncheon and Annual Poker Challenge with raffle prizes that brought excitement to hopeful guests.  They also sponsored Pretend City’s VIP Breakfast with Santa, providing Bloomingdale’s fanny packs and Santa puzzles, helping add surprise and joy to the holiday event. Both parents and children’s faces lit up upon receiving this special gift. 

We look forward to growing our partnership with Pretend City in the coming years. It is such a fun and special place, and we are so inspired when we visit.