It took around twenty years to find the right spot and build custom-made premises, but Nordstrom has finally arrived in the most dynamic luxury retail arena stateside and the company’s largest e-commerce market stateside: New York City. The Seattle-based luxury retailer is betting big on local shoppers and is wooing them with a glittering USD 500 million flagship store on 57th Street, the city’s golden mile of luxury shopping. The building, marked by a glass wavefront façade, is designed by James Carpenter Design Associates and features no less than 320,000 sq.ft. (29,729 sqm.) retail space set across seven floors. The opening of the department store follows the launch of the retailer’s dedicated men’s store across the street in 2018 and two Nordstrom Local outposts – cleverly concepted venues where online purchases can be picked-up, tried on, and when reeded, reordered in a different size – in the West Village and on the Upper East Side earlier this year.
The lofty ground floor sees women’s handbags, accessories, jewellery and watches, fragrances and cosmetics, and sunglasses presented in an open space defined by clean lines that’s flooded by daylight. Embedded in the space is a venue space of sorts which is used for a rotating programme of events and pop-ups, such as currently one by French cobbler Christian Louboutin. The beauty section is an elaborate one, featuring traditional beauty counter service where shoppers can find any imaginable high-end line, as well as future-forward features such as an augmented reality assisted mirror which shows how your lips will look in an abundance of different colours. Additionally, a slew of services are available, ranging from various facials and hair blow outs, to brow shaping, and even Botox injections.
The two subterranean floors present anything from kids apparel and toys, to home apparel and women’s shoes. For power shoppers, the fun is to be found on the upper levels, and arguably the best floor where to indulge oneself is the third with its sharply curated designer collections. A number of coveted names have opened branded shop-in-shops here, including Comme des Garçons, Burberry, Acne Studios, Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Fendi. To maximize the shopping experience, a number of emerging artists were commissioned to create 54 original pieces, and the Art @ Nordstrom app provides shoppers with an audio-guided tour of the store’s collection. And as shopping at this level requires a little back-up, Nordstrom pampers shoppers with no less than seven food and beverage venues.
Celebrated Seattle-based chefs Ethan Stowell and Tom Douglas have made their New York City debut with three distinct concepts. Situated on the third floor is Wolf, overlooking 57th Street and Broadway, an eatery offering Italian-inspired small plates in a comfortable and refined ambiance. Jeannie’s is a contemporary pizza, pasta and salad restaurant, and last but not least there’s Hani Pacific, a modern Pacific Rim-inspired restaurant. Additionally, the Nordstrom flagship store’s plush range of watering holes includes Broadway Bar, an inventive cocktail bar and ideal meeting place for a drink and light bite, the all-day Bistro Verde with a patio for al fresco dining (slated to open in 2020), and Shoe Bar, a cocktail bar located on the shoe floor.
Nordstrom
225 West 57th Street (Midtown)
New York, NY 10019
Telephone: +1 212 2952000
Mon-Sat 10-9
Sun 11-7
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