Google will open its first retail store in New York City, highlighting the internet giant\u2019s effort to promote its consumer hardware devices.<\/p>\n
The store, in Manhattan\u2019s trendy Chelsea neighborhood, will open to the public Thursday, the Mountain View, California-based company said Wednesday in a blog post. The shop, which is a block away from rival Apple Inc.\u2019s 14th Street store, occupies part of the first floor of Google\u2019s New York offices.<\/p>\n
Alphabet Inc.\u2019s Google began experimenting with pop-up stores in 2016, the same year it debuted its Pixel smartphone and Nest smart home speaker.<\/p>\n
In the years since, the company has introduced a plethora of hardware devices and hosted subsequent pop-ups to learn more about what consumers expect from a retail store, said Jason Rosenthal, Google\u2019s vice president of direct channels and membership.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like walking into a dream,\u201d Ivy Ross, vice president of design, user experience and research for design and services, said during a virtual tour. \u201cI hope customers feel the same way. I want them to be happy and inspired, like I am being in here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ross oversaw the planning for the store. \u201cIt\u2019s very rewarding to see everything come together, especially during Covid after once not being able to be in the space,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The store was designed like a social space, with sitting areas, tables and other furniture that invites a level of public intimacy and intermingling that has been a rare experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company said it will limit the number of people who can be in the store at once and that associates as well as customers will have to wear masks inside.<\/p>\n
The furniture, including sofas and oval-shaped tables, are made of blond wood and cork – neutral colors so the products would stand out, Ross said.<\/p>\n
The company also wanted customers to see what Google\u2019s products would look like \u201cin context,\u201d so in the store, speakers may be placed next to piles of books and other design knick-knacks to give it more a feel of being in someone\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
Phones, tablets and other devices are operational and untethered, so visitors can fiddle around with them.<\/p>\n
Ross said there\u2019s a children\u2019s room, to \u201cpark your children while shopping.\u201d There\u2019s also a space where people can use the Pixel phone\u2019s Night Sight feature to take images in the dark and email the photos to themselves.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a room where three people can play video games through Google\u2019s Stadia streaming service. And there\u2019s the Imagination Space – partially enclosed by a 17-foot-tall glass round structure, with screens inside.<\/p>\n
On the screens, visitors can experience advanced or experimental Google services that may not be available to the public yet.<\/p>\n
Rosenthal said it was important for Google to create a direct retail channel that embodies the Google brand and lets customers hear straight from the company, and gives Google feedback from customers. He declined to comment on whether the tech giant would open additional stores.<\/p>\n
Ross touted the store\u2019s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council, pointing to the flooring, made of recycled bottles, the low-energy light bulbs, conservative water usage and other measures.<\/p>\n
As with its hardware, \u201cwe believe that you don\u2019t have to sacrifice Mother Nature with making great products,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n