After continuously committing to never go brick-and-mortar, online-only clothing retailer Everlane has had a change of heart. The company is opening two flagship locations on December 2 —in New York City (NYC) and San Francisco.
Everlane founder Michael Preysman has strongly stated, on multiple occasions, that the retailer would remain a pureplay e-Commerce company. In 2012, he was quoted in the New York Times: “We are going to shut the company down before we go to physical retail.” Now, he is singing a different song; one that other e-Commerce retailers — such as Warby Parker, Amazon, Minted and Casper— have sung for some time.
“Our customers tell us all the time that they want to touch a product before they buy it,” said Preysman in a statement. “We realized we need to have stores if we’re going to grow on a national and global scale.”
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Preysman also shared another reason for his new stance on brick-and-mortar: Consumers who buy online prefer to return or exchange items in person.
The two locations — 2,000 square feet in NYC and 3,000 square feet in San Francisco — will focus on giving Everlane customers a chance to touch and feel products such as t-shirts, cashmere, denim and shoes, as well as return online purchases. The stores also will allow the retailer to interact with new customers and strengthen relationships with existing brand loyalists.
