Dive Brief:
- Herschel Supply, known for its bags, on Friday opened a store in New York City’s Flatiron District, marking its first stand-alone location in the U.S.
- The store — spanning 2,500 square feet — will combine both old and new design elements, like LED screens, reclaimed oak tables and vintage furniture, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive.
- The location will also have a space dedicated to rotating artists to showcase their work, as well as an area to host community events throughout the year.
Dive Insight:
Herschel Supply was founded in Canada more than 10 years ago, but its new store in New York helps solidify its position in the American market.
The new store is the first of several locations the brand is plotting in the coming years, including in Los Angeles, and adds to the list of four stores it already operates in Canada.
Like its other locations, the New York store will host community events, which in the past have included live podcasts, musical performances and a sound bath, co-founder Lyndon Cormack told Retail Dive.
But Cormack wants to be clear that the brand is not moving away from its wholesale partners, which include Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Urban Outfitters.
“We have some of the most amazing wholesale partners ever. … For people who want to experience a bunch of brands in one space, there's nothing better in the world than wholesale. We love the fact that we have neighbors within those stores to help complement an entire offering that people are looking for. We're going to double down and work with our wholesale partners to figure out how we can continue to grow with them,” Cormack said. “This isn't any pivot away from wholesale.”
But the stand-alone stores, Cormack said, will elevate the brand experience by showcasing even more of the brand’s assortment, rather than a curated selection, and help bolster its marketing by serving as a “shoppable billboard.”
“When you have a great retail store, they are truly some of the best marketing you can do for brands,” Cormack said.
By this time next year, the brand will have 16 stores operating across North America, according to Cormack, who added that the potential for even more locations continues to grow.
