Neighborhood Goods brings its multi-brand store format to New York

Neighborhood Goods has brought its department store of the future model to the Big Apple.

The company opened its second location to date, a 4,500-sq.-ft. space in Manhattan’s Chelsea Market. Similar to the first Neighborhood Goods, which opened in late 2018 at Legacy West in Plano, Texas, it features a diverse and rotating lineup of contemporary brands —the majority direct-to-consumer companies new to physical retail — and products. It will host multiple in-store events throughout the year, including trunk shows and pop-ups with partner brands.

The New York outpost also houses a convenience store concept, Pop Up Grocer, featuring up-and-coming consumer packaged goods brands. A snack bar, called Tiny Feast, will open in early 2020. It will transition into a cocktail bar in the evening. 

Under the direction of Neighborhood Goods’ director of store design, Marisa Dukowitz, in collaboration with the company’s long-term partners, Droese Raney Architecture, the team delivered a new Neighborhood Goods experience while leveraging the same visual language as in Plano. The Chelsea Market location, which has a tighter footprint and a higher density of brands and products, is akin to a departmentalized boutique. But one whose brands would not be found in a traditional store.

“Our approach to creating a more dignified retail experience is something, we feel, will be particularly well-suited to New York,” said Matt Alexander, co-founder and CEO of Neighborhood Goods, which is based in Dallas. “And with this fantastic line-up of brands, near-daily events, and more, we cannot wait to begin building our local community in the city.”

Neighborhood Goods has garnered $27.55 million in funding across its Seed and Series A rounds in the past year and a half, while growing its partnerships and accelerating its expansion plans. The company is looking to foster a different approach to physical retail, with each of its locations offering a different set of features and functions for its brands. Not only does this create more utility for brands, but it also ensures a local, relevant experience for customers, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach adopted by many retailers, according to the company.