An Open Afternoon
On a recent New York trip, our studio decided to swing by SoHo and check the status of all things retail.
We learned a lot about how brands approach retail hospitality and uniquely approach the urban flagship experience. From luxury apparel to specialty goods and lifestyle, here are some of our favorite stops along the trip.
Frederic Malle
First on tour was a trip to Frederic Malle, a fragrance brand with a charming experience nestled on the outskirts of Soho. The coolest feature in this store is the guest experience. It’s less about buying and trying a product, and more about finding the signature scent that fits your profile and lifestyle.
Our associate started the visit off with a brief questionnaire. Aimed to uncover more about ourselves, our passions, hobbies, interests and more. Each answer fueling the profile of what your signature scent can become. Once finished, the guest is essentially prescribed their signature fragrance options, and from there the testing begins.
Environmentally the space is incredibly charming, with a cozy and comfortable lounge feel that embodies retail hospitality.
The Real Real
An E-Commerce icon at this point, our team has been eagerly awaiting a trip to The Real Real’s physical space to see their concept in person. The store uniquely positioned men’s and women’s goods on their own respective floors, and merchandised items by brand, season, utility and more.
To curtail the scare of buying secondhand luxury goods, The Real Real offers on site authenticators to help ease the end user’s mind. It’s also a great feature for guests looking to sell or simply authenticate their own merchandise.
Design wise, the space tied in some unique brand messaging and paired it with the charm of this historic soho building. Some exposed materials and steel here and there give the store pops of authenticity and style.
While the store could benefit from some more design thinking and influence, we tip our caps to The Real Real for developing a brick and mortar store while being primarily an E-commerce experience.
Paul Smith
Paul Smith is a cool apparel brand that really took us by surprise. This space was environmental design of the highest order, highlighting a balance of materiality with great displays and unique approaches to lighting. The space had a deep hospitable undertone, with a décor package reminiscent of a luxury hotel lobby, or fashion concierge. While the space felt highly shoppable, there was a special aura around this environment that almost felt like taking a step into a luxury penthouse.
To compliment the merchandise and displays, was a vast arrangement or artwork and creative pieces that added pops of color and invited the guest the investigate the store. Not to mention the service was stellar, with a stylist available on standby for the guest who is looking to complete a look.
Perhaps my favorite feature was the camo-like marble staircase upon entry, which totally comes from left field in the context of this space, yet somehow fits the vibe so well.
Target SoHo
This was one of the coolest Target experiences I’ve personally ever seen. While being a smaller footprint than the usual big box extravaganza, this Target focuses much more on specialty and lifestyle items. Upon entry is this cool focal area highlighting men’s and women’s apparel, all within this vortex-like structure that pays homage to Target’s “bullseye” brand identity.
Each area in apparel featured spring inspired outfits catered to the NY locals. There were also some cool shop-in-shop moments centered around beauty and wellness. Design wise, this space used an array of materials to make each zone stand out, while also paying homage to the iconic Target brand identity.
My favorite feature from this space was the attention to detail that Target paid on specific vignettes across every department from beauty to wellness and of course, their large apparel feature upon entry. We felt completely immersed in every phase of the experience, from one zone to the next.
KITH
Last on deck was a quick trip to a personal favorite shop of mine, KITH. What I love about this particular location was the influence of hospitality, almost like a luxury hotel upon entry.
Service wise, KITH’s team had stylists on hand ready to help you find a new outfit, or find threads that fit your style. This store, being 3 floors, brought various luxury materials to the forefront. Everything from high-quality woods, tiles, marble and brass were all featured on various floors of this space. Perhaps one of the most convenient features was the approach toward displays and merchandising. Each area focused on a specific type of product, like jackets, denim, shirts, or sneakers. This helped us browse effortlessly, without feeling confused through navigation.
Additionally, KITH is well known for featuring cafes in their stores, with KITH Treats being a staple part of the shopping process, bringing some leisurely shopping together with a little something sweet to cap it all off.
It’s always a pleasure seeing high-level retail experiences in person, especially in an urban environment like NYC where brands must put their best foot forward. The main takeaway from our multiple NYC retail tours is that hospitality is a critical retail consideration. It’s the thread that takes an experience from transactional, to transformative. It entices the guest to get comfortable, to complete the look, to explore. For us, we wish brands would translate their environment, experience and service from NYC to every dimension they live and operate. It’s a tall task, but one that could level set the industry if done right.
There’s never enough time to explore the retail in NYC, but we certainly can’t wait to visit again and see what else is out there. Where should our team go next? We’ll be out and about in many new markets this year and would love to hear from you on where you think we should be focusing our attention.
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