From their beginnings, businesses as diverse as the local barbershop and retail giants such as Apple and Starbucks have succeeded by becoming a third place outside of home and work for consumers to pass the hours. The success of various third place destinations, no doubt, has influenced others to share a similar goal, if not necessarily following the same path.
A recent piece by Crain's Chicago Business points to Shinola, TOMS and Warby Parker as a new generation of retail brands looking to fill a third place space for their customers.
Shinola, which is looking to build a business with items, most notably watches, made in the U.S., has focused on workshops and tasting events to attract consumers to its flagship store in Detroit as well as others in London, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and Washington, D.C. The company plans to open another new store in Chicago this month.
TOMS, which has attracted good deed-doers to its brand with its buy-one, give-one sales model, is looking to bring together like-minded individuals for extended periods of time with its own in-store café offering free Wi-Fi.
Warby Parker owes much of its success to a combination of low prices and great service. The eyewear company, which was founded in 2010, offers itself as an alternative to industry giant Luxottica, which owns and licenses eyewear brands such as Oakley, Ray-Ban and others as well as retail outlets including LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, etc.
"The technology behind a pair of glasses is 800 years old," Warby Parker co-CEO Dave Gilboa told USA Today. "And it's kind of crazy you can buy a new iPhone for less than it costs to buy a pair of glasses."
Warby Parker, which also operates a buy-one, give-one business model, has a professional photo studio at its new location on the site of a former American Apparel store in Chicago's Lincoln Park. Customers can shop for new frames and also get a free professional portrait to share with family and friends. They can also hang out and watch a VHS tape of classic holiday movies in the store.
- Warby Parker To Open Lincoln Park Shop With Portrait Studio - DNAinfo
- Please don't call them stores: modern retailers aim to be hangouts - Crain's Chicago Business
- Warby Parker: A visionary approach to selling eyewear - USA Today
- First look: Warby Parker's San Francisco flagship - SFGate
- Why Open a Watch Factory in Detroit - Shinola
- About TOMS - TOMS
- History - Warby Parker
- Luxottica