Showfields opens location in Washington, DC

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Dive Brief:

• As direct-to-consumer brands bring their businesses offline, Showfields has opened its first Washington, D.C. location, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive. Showfields signed a 10-year deal with EastBanc, a D.C. real estate development firm, to occupy the space. 
• The retailer designed the space with inspiration from the previous Brooks Brothers store. The three-floor location is divided into departments resembling rooms in a typical home, according to the announcement. 
• The company said it plans to add more holiday-centric design elements during the upcoming season. The retailer has other locations in New York, Miami and Los Angeles, according to its website.

Dive Insight:

The opening of its D.C. store follows the debut of its four-story New York City location in the NoHo area in 2019, complete with a community space, an art exhibition floor and a slide to travel between floors. Now with its D.C. location, the retailer will showcase a variety of brands every six months within the 20,300-square-foot space. 

“This store is a great example of how we approach the future of retail—we can take a heritage retail space, re-work it, and create an entirely new environment that’s wholly unique but at its core nostalgic for a classic shopping experience,” Showfields CEO and co-founder Tal Zvi Nathanel said in a statement. “We re-used a lot of the existing infrastructure of the previous store—for us it was important to re-utilize and re-work as much as possible while introducing D.C. to our signature aesthetic.” 

Though Showfields highlights a rotating mix of brands, its latest location stands alongside other DTC brands in Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood, including Everlane, Warby Parker, Bonobos, Brilliant Earth and Allbirds. In a statement, Eastbanc touted its retail incubator, Concept 31/M, which also is located in that area and aims to bring back the retail market from the lows of COVID-19.

Similarly to Showfields, Simon Property Group has partnered with Leap, a company that helps DTC brands transition into physical stores, to bring more digitally-native companies into malls. As part of the collaboration, the two companies are opening four stores in California and Florida for brands like ThirdLove, Sugarfina and Goodlife. Meanwhile, other DTC brands like Adore Me, Casper and Wayfair are also looking to explore physical stores.