Warby Parker’s Newest Store Isn’t Just Another Store

NEW YORK IS A CITY of many faces. Its vibrancy is a direct result of the many diverse neighborhoods that define its unique and dynamic cityscape. The Upper West Side, neatly tucked between the Hudson River and Central Park, offers prewar architecture along quiet tree-lined streets, a robust restaurant and bar scene, access to open green spaces and a broad sampling of the city’s most acclaimed residential buildings such as the Dakota and the San Remo. Home to Lincoln Center and the American Museum of Natural History, the neighborhood has long been considered an important component of New York’s cultural and intellectual foundation.

The brilliance of the Upper West Side is its strong community infrastructure, its intimate nature nestled within the grand metropolis, and its welcoming spirit. The brilliance of Warby Parker, the latest addition to the community, is its ability to recognize the nuances of each neighborhood where it plants its flag, and seamlessly become an integral part of its vibe.

This past Feb. 25, the innovative, New York-based eyewear brand opened its 17th store in the city on Columbus Ave., located in the shadows of the American Museum of Natural History. In a nod to its prestigious neighbor, the store is billed as the Warby Parker Museum of the Blue-Footed Booby. Not a random gesture, the aquatic bird was the inspiration behind the retailer’s color palette of blue and gray. The brand is recognized by its proprietary booby-blue storefronts and a lacing of the color throughout its many store interiors.

In addition to its wide a range of quality fashion eyewear, the store features a gallery setting, exhibiting artwork by a host of New York artists like Maira Kalman, Julia Rothman, Nate Padavick and Or Gotham. Several sculptures of the blue-footed booby also appear in the show windows, on the perimeter wall presentations and in a fun photo op within the interior space.

Adding a bit of the unexpected helps to create an enjoyable environment for customers to not only learn about the brand’s adopted mascot, but to comfortably explore the many products and services offered, such as reasonably priced glasses and contact lenses, and comprehensive eye exams.

Upon entering the store, customers are welcomed into a gallery/library-like setting with strategically placed tones of booby blue. Even the books, referencing a library (smart people who read wear glasses) are in hues of blue. A checkerboard terrazzo floor, also embellished in shades of blue, leads customers through and around the environment where merchandise is housed on blond wood cabinetry positioned along stark white walls. A centrally located reference desk is situated under a blue toned domed ceiling treatment that cleverly references another iconic neighbor, the Planetarium directly across the street.

A visit to the Warby Parker Museum of the Blue-Footed Booby is not simply a visit to a retail store, but rather an experience that is intertwined with the community that it serves. The in-store experience is memorable, recognizable, and sure to put a smile, in addition to a new pair of glasses, on the visitor’s face.

PHOTO GALLERY (15 IMAGES)
📷 Eric Feigenbaum, New York