Source: Camp
Buzzfeed, the media company best known for its lighthearted lists and quizzes that go viral, is supporting a new retail concept for kids called Camp that packs the summer-camp experience into a 10,000-square foot box.
The first store just opened in the Flatiron district of Manhattan.
The front section, the Canteen, looks like a regular store, with toys, books, apparel and gifts sorted in stacks. An outpost of Manhattan’s chic deserts chain, Milk Bar, serving a special s’mores sundae and coffee, is in the corner.
The real action, however, is hidden in the “Base Camp” event space in the back that is only accessible through a “secret moving wall.” Once guided through the wall, kids snake through a racetrack design to discover more than two dozen unique experiences, including a light-up dance floor, a switchboard they can use to create their own song, and an arts and crafts table. A stage supports sing-a-longs and improv shows.
Beyond selling merchandise, the concept makes money two other ways:
- Workshops: Making your own camp pennant, snow globe or other item costs $20 to $25 a class.
- Sponsorships: MasterCard is sponsoring the Base Camp area until March 15, but sponsorships are also available for in-store activations, such as a make-your-own lip-gloss workshop.
- Camp
- Buzzfeed Talks About New Store For Families At Ad Age Next – Advertising Age
- A New Kind of Toy Store Arrives in New York From BuzzFeed’s Chief of Commerce. The experiential Camp is open for business – Adweek
- Calling All Campers and Their Families – Women’s Wear Daily
- Our Investment in Camp – RRE Ventures
- How BuzzFeed-backed toy store Camp plans to survive beyond the holiday season – Digiday
- A Camp-Themed Store Just Opened In NYC And It's So Wholesome It Hurts – Buzzfeed