Warby Parker is one of the few direct-to-consumer (DTC) unicorns that has successfully evolved into a profitable omnichannel business — and its distinct store design and shopper experience is a big reason why. Now, with more than 270 locations across the U.S. and Canada, the eyewear retailer found it was the perfect time to revisit and refresh its first store, on Greene St. in New York City, by applying a new gallery concept.
Earlier this month, Warby Parker reopened the doors to its Greene St. store, which initially had entered the NYC retail community in 2013. Like all other Warby Parker stores, the space is designed to pay tribute to grand civic spaces such as train stations, museums and libraries, including classic details like brass lighting, terrazzo floors and marble details. The store also has a Reference Desk where shoppers can pick up their online orders, have their frames adjusted or consult team members on frame styles.
“Refreshing the design of our first store on Greene St. is something we’ve been wanting to do for a while, and this is our first major renovation to the space in over 10 years,” said Sandy Gilsenan, Chief Retail and Customer Experience Officer for Warby Parker in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “Now felt like the right time for a refresh, honoring the design elements that have become core to Warby Parker stores, while ensuring our first-ever store reflects where the brand and our customer experience is today.”
A ‘Love Letter’ to the Art Community
Now branded the Greene St. Gallery, the NYC store is elevating its partnership with local artists and paying tribute to SoHo’s rich art culture. “We wanted to pay homage to the city and all the amazing artists that we’ve worked with over the years with this redesign,” Gilsenan noted.
At the Greene St. Gallery, there is a new permanent exhibition that features more than 12 artists Warby Parker has featured in its stores over the years, such as Geoff McFetridge, who worked with the brand for its Abbot Kinney and West 3rd St. Locations; Gabriel Alcala, who is featured in the Coconut Grove location and the Shops at Wiregrass; and Andy Rementer, who created pieces for the Dairy Block and Heights Mercantile locations. Artist collaborations are present in all locations, from indoor and outdoor murals to sculptures, and the Greene St. Gallery was curated to incorporate various mediums as well — from linocut pieces to sculptures and illustrations.
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“We liken the redesigned store to stepping inside a gallery, but one that also brings our core mission of providing eye care for all to life — a place where you can get an eye exam, glasses, sunglasses, contacts and more,” Gilsenan said. “We think of this as a love letter to the most beautiful pieces in our collection. We’ve been proud and excited to partner with artists to create custom works at every store, and we often dedicate the design to the history of the city, so the gallery aesthetic was the perfect fit here. And as our first store, this is a full-circle moment for us and a tribute to our larger retail presence.”
Connecting Art to Social Impact
Warby Parker also has incorporated a new experiential component into the store, developed in partnership with artist Anastasia Inciardi: a Mini-Print Vending Machine that gives customers custom-made prints when they feed in four quarters.
The vending machine will be a permanent fixture in the store, with all pieces created exclusively for Warby Parker and its customers. The designs “nod to our love of New York City and all things literary, including a hot dog cart, a dog wearing glasses, a book and our unofficial brand mascot, the Blue-Footed Booby,” Gilsenan said. “We’re excited to offer this unique experience and work with Anastasia, an artist who is well-loved by the New York City community and beyond for her previous installations.”
The financial proceeds of the vending machine will go to RxART, a nonprofit that pairs contemporary artists with pediatric hospitals “to humanize healthcare environments and improve the patient experience,” according to the organization’s website. Warby Parker has a long-term partnership with RxART that spans sponsorships, corporate donations and gala support. Neil Blumenthal, one of Warby Parker’s Co-founders and Co-CEOs, is a member of the RxART board.
Although there are close personal ties to this particular nonprofit, Warby Parker has a broader charitable giving strategy tied to the arts, Gilsenan explained. “Supporting a variety of organizations in the arts has been an integral part of Warby Parker since day one,” she said. “A few examples include creating a limited-edition publication called VOLUME 0: SEEN with Black Fashion Fair, designing a collaboration with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and creating the Writer’s Vision Grant in partnership with The Black List, which awarded $20,000 each to three aspiring writers in film, television and theater.”
Warby Parker’s artistic and charitable endeavors add to Warby’s core “buy a pair, give a pair” program, in which the brand distributes a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair purchased. To date, the retailer has distributed more than 15 million pairs.
Creating Bespoke, Visually Beautiful Experiences
The Greene St. Gallery is a testament to Warby Parker’s ongoing commitment to creating “bespoke, well-designed spaces” that create the best possible experience. Of course, that includes the visual aesthetics, which the gallery concept undoubtedly delivers, but it also includes services. All Warby Parker stores are designed to include holistic eyecare services to make buying the right glasses seamless and enjoyable.
“Our priority is to provide an exceptional customer experience in every store by creating a vibrant and welcoming environment, as well as an enjoyable shopping journey,” Gilsenan said. Team members regularly evaluate legacy stores to see where they can make improvements, “whether that is by updating murals, adding eye exam suites or introducing new fixtures, among other things,” she added. “We look forward to continuing to open new stores this year and beyond — and we are excited to bring our perspective on the in-store experience to new locations and their communities.”
Designing the Greene St. Gallery has been an “exciting creative process” that has encouraged the team to find “the best way to pay homage to an iconic neighborhood while ensuring it’s enhancing the customer experience,” Gilsenan explained. “We want our customers to be able to get the services and products they need, while also having the opportunity to experience something special. We are constantly inspired by the creativity of the artists we’ve partnered with over the years, and are energized to think through new ways to share that with customers.”
