Chicago — In mid-November, Crate & Barrel unveiled a New York City flagship location in the Flatiron district. The 23,000-square-foot, two-level store also mark’s the brand’s first-ever immersive design store. The historic location was carefully renovated by Crate & Barrel’s in-house architecture and design team with the goal to preserve much of the rich history of the circa-1868 building. Once home to the largest department store, the building was known as New York’s Palace of Trade.
“This historic building embodies Crate & Barrel, blending classic and timeless design with a modern vision for a true flagship experience that feels right at home in the heart of New York City,” says Sebastian Brauer, senior vice president of product design, visual Crate & Barrel. “We preserved the original neoclassical columns, brought in natural light with a modern staircase and a custom tile wall, and included special shopping features like our most expansive whiteware wall, a curated botanical shop with a layer of local artisan goods, a designated Crate & Kids shop and two state-of-the-art design areas to help customers select product to fit their homes.”
The Design Desk at Crate & Barrel Flatiron offers free design and trade services. The Design Desk spans two floors and is staffed by up to 30 NYC-based designers.
“Our customers are prioritizing functionality, ease and personal style in their homes in all projects, from refreshing a small space to a full home renovation,” says Alicia Waters, brand president, Crate & Barrel and Crate & Kids. “Crate & Barrel Design Desk professionals merge our customers’ vision with our latest technology to bring their vision from concept to reality.”
Additional services include:
• Monogramming Services: Personalize any textile in-person at the store.
• Floral Arrangements: The store offers an expansive botanical shop and an expanded assortment of dried botanicals for DIY arrangements or on-site styling by an expert.
• One Day Delivery: To match the unique pace of New York City, purchases made in the flagship store will be delivered within one day.
• Crate & Barrel Trade Program: Expanded home renovation products for every client, from bathroom vanities which are exclusive to this store to access to dinnerware and entertaining options for restaurant trade.
• Gift Registry: Expanded gift registry gives couples the opportunity to see more options as they create their registries along with exclusive events and personalized service appointments just for the New York customer.
Crate & Barrel’s growing Crate & Kids brand has a “shop within the shop” at the new Flatiron flagship, with highly-specialized kid and baby products curated for city parents’ needs, including toys, gear and wall decor only found at this location.
Crate & Barrel will also launch its first-ever immersive virtual store inviting visualization and access to customers globally. The interactive environment is a replica of the flagship store, allowing customers to experience and envision more than 450 products digitally.
The Flatiron store, located at 881 Broadway, opened to the public on Nov. 16.
Global specialty retailer Crate & Barrel Holdings Inc. was founded in 1962 Its lifestyle brands include Crate & Barrel, CB2, Crate & Kids, and Hudson Grace. Today, the company is a member of the Otto Group and operates over 100 Crate & Barrel, CB2 and Hudson Grace stores throughout the U.S. and Canada, with franchise locations in nine countries. For more information, visit www.crateandbarrel.com.
SOURCE: Crate & Barrel