Dive Brief:
- Joining other DTC brands in store expansion, direct-to-consumer kitchenware brand Our Place has opened its first retail location in its hometown of Los Angeles, according to a Monday press release.
- The store has limewash plaster walls, recycled tiles in jewel tones and bright pastel colors throughout the space. The Venice Beach store also features Our Place Cafe, which serves tea, boba, turmeric lattes and other beverages.
- Located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, the store, which was conceptualized as a place for gathering, will host food-related events, book launches, film screenings, and other community events in the store's backyard stadium and cafe seating.
Dive Insight:
Our Place is executing on its brick-and-mortar goals. The DTC brand aims to open two Los Angeles stores this year and another New York location early next year. Shiza Shahid, co-founder and co-CEO of Our Place, told Retail Dive earlier this year that the company always had physical stores as part of its strategy.
"When we started Our Place, we knew it was about so much more than kitchenware," Shahid said in a statement. "We wanted to create a place that brought people together over the joy of cooking, and now, we are able to bring everyone into this physical space to make even deeper connections. This store is truly a place by and for us and our community."
Alongside Our Place, other digitally native brands have also been expanding their physical store presence. Home brand Brooklinen opened its first brick-and-mortar location in January 2020 and closed the store temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the company plans to operate between 25 and 30 locations by 2024.
Furniture brand Burrow plans to open 10 stores by 2024. Hanky Panky, a DTC intimates brand, debuted its first storefront in August and plans to open 10 more U.S. stores over the next three years.
