Ian Scott's Trip to New York's Retail Delights
My Trip to New York & It's Retail Delights
Extracted from Ian Scott's LinkedIn trip diary posts
Ian Scott - NWA Contributor
As our post dedicated to Ian Scott's trip to Paris last year was so popular, we thought we would dedicate this week's blog to Ian Scott's latest trip to New York. Another delightful collection of photos and insightful commentary. Enjoy!
On Saturday we stumbled across the
Chelsea Market in the Meatpacking District, while seeking the Google store.
It proved to be a visual delight, full of character and interesting features.
With 6 million visitors each year, the market is a primary tourist destination for foodies and shoppers alike.
Inside we discovered character and details that surprise and delight. Historical features and memorabilia combine with dramatic lighting as the main walkway snakes through this deep building.
The retail and food offers combine, each space having it's own character. I recommend a visit for anything that wants to see a beautiful old space being reinvigorated into a relevant shopping and eating destination.
ARITZIA
Aritzia Super World looks like a kids' inflatable bouncy castle has collided with a puffa coat factory.
The store has huge inflated fabric tubes criss-crossing the entire space, surrounded by racks of puffa coats.
There is no imagery or messaging, just coats, lots of them. Oh and lots of customers browsing and buying.
Aritzia calls themselves creators and purveyors of everyday luxury and this store is dedicated to the single product range. It is great to see this type of focus for one store.
I usually criticise a retailer that has no communication throughout their store, but it works here...just. I would have liked to learn about the features and benefits of the coats, but still feel this concept works because of the single minded focus.
THE OCCULUS
I also took another look at The Occulus, one of the most stunning malls I have ever seen. The rib-like structure is unique and the views inside are jaw dropping.
CAMP
Yesterday I got to visit CAMP the toy retailer at Columbus Circle in New York.
I had heard a lot about this creative brand and the great stores they develop. And I must admit I was highly impressed.
This store is set over two floors, with the main area a beautiful, calm conventional store space. There is a low stock density which is both surprising and visually appealing for a toy store.
The extensive use of pale wood fixturing creates a calm environment - again an unconventional approach for a toy store. For British shoppers, think of the old Early Learning Centre combined with a premium fashion brand.
A large truck takes centre space on this lower floor, with a great racetrack behind, where kids can play with cars and other sit on products. I watched a couple of kids using this track before continuing around the store on a car and horse.
But it's upstairs where this brand really stands out. The upper level is a bookable space that has several areas where kids can be creative, and most important of all, make a huge mess.
A large classroom type room can be hired for parties. But the most interesting areas provide environments where kids can spin paint, throw slime and my favourite - splatter paint around a whole room. It looks like Jackson Pollack has been living in that room.
What a fantastic experience for kids, being able to be creative or just go wild, in a shop.
The store associates explained that their founder wants product out of boxes and available for kids to play with and this store captures that principle so brilliantly.
H&M
One of the benefits of walking so much around a city like New York is discovering hidden delights when on your way to your intended location.
This happened last week when in Williamsburg, while seeking the Showfields store. This new concept store from H&M most certainly caught my eye.
The vivid yellow colour scheme and full window animated screen suggested something a little different to a standard H&M experience.
Walking inside, the bold concept continued throughout two floors, as the Move promotion was presented in all it's glory. The store was full of striking shapes and displays, coupled with a workout room upstairs where visitors can book sessions.
This is the second concept that has appeared in the store, each one lasts for six weeks before everything is changed for the next campaign. When I say everything, I mean everything. All of the fixtures and fittings come out, as well as the product and messaging. The store closes for three weeks for a comprehensive refit after each promotion.
This is a unique store for H&M, located in one of the most progressive and stylish retail locations I have ever visited. I hope it continues to surprise and delight with each iteration.
fishs eddy
One of my favourites stores in New York was Fishs Eddy, one of those delightful experiences that leaves you with a huge smile.
They sell upcycled crockery and an assortment of odds and sods.
Stacks of product fill the store in an eclectic browsable way, supported by fabulous messages and a real sense of fun.
How shoppers don't send the products flying as they browse is a mystery to me.
We need more stores like this please.
With huge thanks to Ian Scott, NWA Contributor
Extracted from Ian Scott's LinkedIn trip diary posts
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-scott-0534694/recent-activity/shares/
