Meta Lab Opening in WeHo’s Design District

Meta Platforms Inc, formerly knows as Facebook is set to reopen in West Hollywood’s Design District but this time on a permanent basis. 

The ‘Meta Lab’ first opened its experimental retail store as a pop-up in West Hollywood last November 2024 through end of December 2024; and now returning to 8600 Melrose Ave. as a flagship location.   

The ‘Reality Lab’,  offers a hands-on way to experience Meta’s products, including AI-powered smart glasses and virtual reality headsets.

Meta Lab is also asking for a permit to create a 1604 square foot creative sign along Melrose Ave.    The hearing date is noted at November 20th, 6:30 pm.   Creative signs are designed to build brand identity, evoke emotion and stand out.   A large creative sign along Melrose Ave. would be the first of its kind along Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood.   

Meta’s original pop-up celebrated Southern California lowrider culture, and the new store will focus on themes like “Skating in Southern California” and include various hardware, art installations, and community programming.  The store is designed as a “lab” to test and reimagine the retail experience for Meta’s hardware.   Inside the space there are immersive installations, art, and programming that celebrate local culture.  The first pop-up had an emphasis on lowrider culture, and the new store’s theme is “Skating in Southern California”.   Meta Lab will also host community events and workshops. 

Facebook officially changed its name to Meta Platforms in October 2021.    The rebranding by its CEO Mark Zuckerberg intended to reflect a strategic shift toward the ‘metaverse’, and to distance its parent company from controversies surrounding its social media platforms.     Meta Platforms includes all of the companies platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Whats App, and its virtual reality company called Oculus.   

‘Meta Lab’ is nominated for the ‘Corporate Innovation Award’,  at this years CBA Awards hosted by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce on November 6th, 2025.   The nomination form describes ‘Meta Lab’ below.  

• Meta Lab reimagines what a corporate presence can be by merging retail, R&D, and cultural programming under one roof, redefining experiential retail. In West Hollywood, the Lab isn’t simply a flagship storefront—it’s a living prototype of Meta’s innovative business model. Inside, visitors don’t just shop—they interact, demoing Meta’s AI glasses, customizing cases, and stepping into immersive installations that blend SoCal culture with cutting-edge design. 

At the time of the re-branding Facebook had a market capitalization of approximately 1 billion dollars.  Today the company’s market cap is approximately 2 billion dollars ranking it as the 6th largest American company behind, Nvidia, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Apple, and Amazon.