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Re:store Heralds the Future of Shopping, Connecting Cult Online Brands, Their Fans and Founders in a Real-Life Retail Haven

The new San Francisco shopping destination on Maiden Lane welcomes customers starting August 8th

Instagram is great for scrolling, but when it comes to shopping, IRL is still worth a stroll. That’s why creative entrepreneur Selene Cruz is launching Re:store, a San Francisco based retail space and collaboration hub that turns discovering Insta-famous products into a tangible and immersive experience. By bringing niche brands closer to their customers, and fostering community-based innovation, the Sequoia-backed startup changes not just how we shop, but how we engage with brands, ideas, and the people inspiring them.

“Creating an authentic connection between customers and brands is a fundamental building block of a dynamic shopping experience,” Cruz says. “Re:store is poised to make scroll-to-stroll the new normal.”

Partnering with a team of expert curators, including former Refinery29 senior fashion market editor Alyssa Coscarelli and influencer “it girl” Vivid Wu, Re:store hand-picked 70 coveted direct-to-consumer brands as its debut partners, leaving over 2000 more labels on the waitlist for future consideration. Among those featured at launch are CFDA award winner Mansur Gavriel, sustainability-minded fashion icon Sézane, and cult brand & Other Stories, with design ateliers in Paris, Stockholm and LA. Also included are wellness innovators like Dirty Lemon and homewares from emerging lifestyle companies like Boy Smells and Andy Spade’s Sleepy Jones. Re:store represents a breakout moment for women’s empowerment brand, Thinx, and influencer designers like Lisa Buhler, whose “Lisa Says Gah” range makes its brick-and-mortar debut at the space.

Each mission-based startup brand receives its own dedicated area within the 3-level, 4200 sq. feet space, located on the same San Francisco retail block as Fendi and Hermès, and fashion-meets-tech brands Warby Parker, Rent the Runway and Cuyana. Well-suited for its surroundings, Re:store’s interior was designed by Robert Storey of Storey Studio (Nike, Everlane, Gentle Monster) to reflect a shifting colorscape – a nod to San Francisco’s vibrant culture and dreamy sky.

By design, Re:store isn’t for the passive shopper. It’s a community space where customers can interact personally with brand leaders and founders, through services like the feminist-focused Lacquerbar manicure pop-in, or entrepreneurial creativity installations like a Living Wall – a fashionable take on a Post-it ideation process. Re:store also seamlessly connects a digital mindset with the analog world. Through technology touchpoints, customers can communicate directly with brands, attaining deeper knowledge about their favorite items while sharing insights that can influence future products.

It was through Female Founders Office Hours that Cruz met Jess Lee and secured pre-seed funding from Sequoia Capital. By way of the network, she was also connected with The Wing’s Audrey Gelman for one-on-one mentorship. Re:store is in good company – Sequoia has backed companies like YouTube, Airbnb, WhatsApp and more recently, Glossier. The concept has also gathered a close-knit group of female investor alumni from social media titans like Twitter and Facebook, who have a shared vision of the explosive opportunity for direct-to-consumer brands in the offline world.

Re:store is the organic evolution of a DIY pop-up shop Cruz created in her San Francisco apartment living room in 2017. A designer of sustainable leather goods, Cruz searched tirelessly for a place to connect with and learn from her product’s online fans in real life. Seeking a space where consumers and creatives could truly connect, the makeshift venue became a consumer hit and fueled Cruz to seek funding and partnerships for a new kind of store – one that united customers and community with mindful in-demand products.

Less than one year after securing funding, Cruz is ready to unveil her unique vision. Re:store has the early influencer buzz and high-profile investors and advisors to make disruptive retail a reality, shifting the future of shopping and paving the way for more creative and community-minded female founders in the process.

Re:store officially opens its doors on August 8, 2019 at 120 Maiden Lane, the modern retail hub of San Francisco’s Union Square. All are welcome; selfie-sticks optional, self-love mandatory.

SOURCE: businesswire.com