New Era Debuts North American Flagship in NY

New Era (Buffalo, N.Y.) will open its North American flagship in New York on April 27. The store will occupy the lowest two floors at 300 Lafayette, a 7-story tower that is a 2018 addition to its SoHo neighborhood.

“We’re incredibly proud to bring our North American flagship to New York City, a global epicenter of sport, fashion, and culture,” said CEO Chris Koch. “The space brings our brand to life, allowing us to connect directly with our consumers in an immersive and meaningful way, while showcasing New Era’s innovation, collaborations, and creativity. From our roots in Buffalo to this global flagship in SoHo, New Era remains committed to honoring our heritage while continuing to influence and shape the future of headwear and style.”

In its news release on the store, the retailer provided these details on its design:

• It blends immersive digital elements with storytelling rooted in heritage, creating a dynamic retail experience that guides customers from first impression to final purchase. The corner location’s exterior is anchored by a 17-by-20-foot street-facing digital screen, and it will show New Era’s latest releases, commercials and marketing campaigns. The overhead screen transitions to a screen inside the store set atop the featured merchandise table.
• The store’s threshold features an inlaid Buffalo medallion, while the throwback New Era “Bug” logo, designed by Val Koch, can be found above the entry door. Cases of custom patches and pins, some specific to New York, are laid out for purchase. Other customization options include cap blocking machines, for shaping a cap’s brim and crown; and heat seals for on-site patch application.
• Tucked behind the arrival vestibule is the cash wrap, featuring an artistic map of the brand’s hometown city of Buffalo. The window line to the right of the arrival vestibule will display New Era branded apparel and headwear, partner collaborations and international exclusive products. A 15-foot-long display table runs the length of the space, flanked by built-in displays which frame the customer journey through to the far end of the store where customers will find a floor-to-ceiling display for up to 50 caps, complete with original wooden hat forms from New Era’s first factories.
• New Era’s licensed apparel and headwear are featured along the window line to the left of the arrival vestibule. The latest team drops from Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and many more will be displayed along sliding wall displays.
• A centerpiece of the store will be a silhouette education wall, featuring a display of the brand’s 15 most popular cap styles. The area also offers two programmed tablets with multilingual translations that can break down the variants within each cap silhouette upon selection.
• Designated as “The Garage” is a shop-in-shop customization space, where customers can make their purchases uniquely their own. Designed like an old-school haberdashery, space is complete with reclaimed wood flooring and wrap-around shelving, creating a home for curated memorabilia from New Era’s own archives.

New Era previously operated a flagship store in New York at at 9 E. 4 Fourth St. in the city’s NoHo neighborhood, but that location is closed. (Specifics on when that happened were not immediately available.)

Founded in 1920, New Era operates 1000-plus franchise and partner stores, and its wares are available in more than 125 countries.