Concepts Opens a New Store in NYC
After opening a new door in Boston in October, renowned boutique Concepts is continuation its brick-and-mortar focus with a fresh store in New York City.
The retailer is set to open the doors on its fresh 2,500-square-foot space in the Big Apple, located at 99 University Place. Concepts will open the store today at 5 p.m. ET until 9 p.m. ET, and regular business hours will begin tomorrow.
“We needed a new location in New York City to support our growth and future plans,” Concepts founder and CEO Tarek Hassan said in a statement. “We’ve always loved the energy around the Union Square neighborhood — it reminds us a lot of our first Harvard Square location, so when 99 University Place became available, it felt like home for Concepts.”
In October, Hassan told FN that the new store — which is the former home to Rugby by Ralph Lauren — being so close to New York University is a great benefit to Concepts. “We understand the crowd, the college kids and their needs. It felt very organic to be part of this [area],” Hassan said. “We’re going to be able to express what we’ve always wanted in terms of skate and private label.”
The location — which was designed in partnership with creative agency Sid Lee — includes a pavilion in the center accessible from both the University Place and 12th Street entrances that’s designed to create an element of discovery and to foster an experiential retail journey. It will also serve as a space for the Concepts private label, new releases and collaborations.
And like the other Concepts doors, the NYC storefront will house products from longtime partners including Nike, Jordan Brand, Converse, Vans, Adidas and others. Additionally, the retailer said the space will offer the opportunities for special retail activations, and exclusive items from All My Hats Are Dead will be available during opening weekend as well as in-store nail customization by Chrmd by Sarah.
“We’ve had many partners throughout the years, and feel lucky to be able to bring so many brands with us through our journey,” Hassan said in a statement. “The larger New York City Concepts store allows us more space to bring these special products to consumers, and another way in which we can present our collaborations.”
Aside from product, Concepts said the new, larger space will allow the company to expand its reach within the New York community to engage consumers in events and activations.
After today’s opening, regular hours will be 10 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET daily.