Give Me the Goods!
“cultivating a philosophy of transparency and connection.”
What if all of your favorite online e-commerce brands became a brick and mortar store? We went out to Plano, Texas, to see precisely that at the innovative department store Neighborhood Goods.
As the lines between virtual and physical continue to blur, the race to a seamless integration between our iPhones and in-person sales is leading the charge to a new model that will be critical to survival. Challenging the status quo is at the front of the mind, and new approaches are emerging.
What makes experience unique and engaging?
What does community mean to us in the new digital age?
How do we transform old models to create new exciting opportunities for connection and exposure to new ideas?
These questions being asked by co-founders Matt Alexander and Mark Mark Masinter at Neighborhood Goods, the new department store concept looking to up-end the status quo.
The cultural shifts towards more significant product manufacturing transparency coupled with a targeted interest in a brand’s story and values are creating a need to educate consumers on the “why.” Why we make the way we do, what makes it unique to the market, and how it connects back to each personal need or interest. The interior at Neighborhood Goods responds to this desire for education, connection, and openness with a soaring space that feels both communal and intimate simultaneously.
Building on Alexander’s experience in both online and pop-up retail, the output is a 360 omnichannel experience that seamlessly integrates information flow from digital platforms to personal engagement with onsight product gurus. Customers can navigate an array of categories from emerging brands in beauty, home, lifestyle, and apparel. For those that have been wanting to see in person brands like Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James, learn more about Hims and Hers personal care products, check out the latest Supreme drop at Stadium Goods, or support local apparel maker Hey Gang this is your chance. One caveat, act fast because the floor is ever-rotating. The store flow allows one to interact with brands on multiple levels, digitally, personally, and physically and unlike the frenzied pace of online digital shopping, one feels a meditative and contemplative effect that is a soothing counterpoint to our overstimulated world.
Contrary to widespread belief, consumer’s interest in brick and mortar stores is growing as the need for more personal engagement blooms. In the end, we all desire a place to feel connected to the physical world around us, be it with a one on one conversation, the discovery of a new product, the weight of a garment in your hand, or a lunch date with a friend.
Written by Melody Linscott
Melody is the Trend Research and New Product Developer at ITL
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