First Look: New Era opens global flagship in NYC
New Era has is expanding into brick and mortar with a global flagship featuring its licensed headwear and apparel, company-branded products, exclusive collaborations and international exclusives — and a customization shop.
The global sports and lifestyle brand will open a flagship in New York City's SoHo shopping district on April 27. It’s also New Era’s first standalone store in the U.S., outside of a store connected to the company’s global headquarters in Buffalo, N.Y.
Blending immersive digital elements with storytelling, the store is designed to create a dynamic retail experience that guides customers from first impression to final purchase. The entry is marked with a 17x20-foot street-facing digital screen that will broadcast New Era's latest releases, commercials and marketing campaign. The overhead screen transitions to a screen inside the store set atop the featured merchandise table, creating a dramatic point of entry that will spotlight the latest product drops and collaborations.
The cash wrap area is located behind the arrival vestibule. In a nod to the company’s roots, it features an “artistic” map of Buffalo. Other interior details include a 15-foot-long display table that runs the length of the space. It’s flanked by built-in displays which frame the customer journey through to the far end of the store, where they will find a floor-to-ceiling cap display for up to 50 caps, complete with original wooden hat forms from New Era's first factories.
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Image courtesy of New Era. -
Image courtesy of New Era. -
Image courtesy of New Era.
Customization Shop
The flagship houses an in-store customization shop called “The Garage.” Designed like an old-school haberdashery, it provides customers with the opportunity to make their purchases uniquely their own.
The Garage is complete with reclaimed wood flooring and wrap-around shelving displaying curated memorabilia from New Era's own archives. A Buffalo medallion is inlaid into the threshold. Cases of custom patches and pins, some specific to New York City, are laid out for customers to choose from. Other customization options include cap blocking machines, for shaping a cap's brim and crown; and heat seals for on-site patch application.
Education Wall
Additional highlights of New Era's flagship include a silhouette education wall with 15 top cap styles on display. The wall is styled as a self-guided learning experience that lays out the breadth of the New Era headwear portfolio, how silhouettes differ, and what options are right for each customer. The area is complete with two programmed tablets with multilingual translations that can break down the variants within each cap silhouette upon selection.
“The space [flagship] brings our brand to life, allowing us to connect directly with our consumers in an immersive and meaningful way, while showcasing New Era's innovation, collaborations, and creativity,” said Chris Koch, CEO of New Era. “From our roots in Buffalo to this global flagship in SoHo, New Era remains committed to honoring our heritage while continuing to influence and shape the future of headwear and style."
Founded in 1920, New Era products can be found in more than 1,000 stores worldwide.
