The Business of Fashion podcast crew tackled the ever-evolving topic of how we commune with the spaces around us— specifically, what constitutes an authentic Third Space.
Is it a Cheers-esque neighborhood bar, the coffee shop down the street, your favorite local bookstore…or a newly designed boutique with free coffee & cocktails? The podcast conversation wavered between hopeful optimism for retail’s ability to create genuine community and deep cynicism over consumerism solving modern civilization’s connectivity problems. There was debate about the Apple stores’ willingness to offer a bathroom and phone charging vs. Teacova’s bottomless complimentary cocktails. The lead journo on the story offered a balanced view on where in-store retail is headed, and how major brands are attempting to capture marketshare currently being snatched up by members-only clubs at hyper speed.
So where do I land? Somewhere between Chronic Shoppies and No-Spend November, but truly believing in the power of place to change the world. Cher Horowitz meets the Dalai Lama!
For a little context, I am a millennial who was raised on The American Shopping Mall. My first foray in the working world was due to my family’s personal experience as customers at our local Banana Republic. We were not rich by any means, but my mom, sister and I made quite an impression as loyal BR sale shoppers. So when it was time for me to be gainfully employed, my mom called Joey at Banana and said “one of my girls is ready to work.” My third space graduated to my second, and that four-year stint on the sales floor changed how I did everything.
Obviously, the brick/mortar shopping experience has evolved over the past two decades with the onslaught of free shipping and dupe culture. However, despite a heavy push to online, in-person shopping was down but never out. I learned that lesson firsthand when I transitioned from the buying office at Macy’s.com to the one at Herald Square. It wasn’t just apples to oranges— it was more like Ritz crackers to filet mignon, not even in the same section of the grocery store. When it comes to moving the retail needle, nothing will circumvent the tangible experience of the shop. I mean, hence the name of this blog. It is/was/will always be about The Shop.
So, where does that leave retail’s place in the Third Space discussion? Central, I believe.
And newsflash, it is not just about dollars and cents on the company’s P&L. What is most important is the feeling the customer leaves your space with, and how that translates into future loyalty, which almost inevitably leads to future spending. I was in NYC last week and couldn’t wait to walk through Bloomingdale’s @ 59th/Lex for a post-meeting wind down. Reality bites because 90% of the sales associates were unfriendly, unhelpful and generally uncurious about why I was even there. Guess what? I will probably skip Blooms on my next trip. Not because I need to be waited on hand/foot (although, I love being waited on hand/foot), but because their people on the floor were the walking embodiment of the current downstate of consumerism. Their lagging sales were directly reflected in their bad customer service. Meanwhile, I jetted to my local outlet mall recently and couldn’t have wanted for more. Dressing rooms were flung open, free shipping abounded, size suggestions were made, and Black Friday sales schedules were shared— and I simply enjoyed my time chatting with different sales associates! It felt like my local mall from 20 years ago, not the distressed retail environment of a global economic crisis. So, guess which is more likely to be my go-to retail Third Space? A hint: it’s closer to Mississippi than to Manhattan!
Zooming back to the BOF podcast, which would not even know where to start with the Tangier Outlet Mall, I want to challenge everyone to get IRL this holiday shopping season. Visit your local shops, but also check out the big box stores who are employing thousands of hard-working, thoughtful people who take such pride in their perfectly folded sweaters, correct sale signage and welcoming store environments. I promise you will find yourself compelled for a repeat visit.
In honor of The Shop, some of my favorite recent shopping experiences—
Memphis and Nashville:
- Babcock Gifts
- Stovall Collection
- Novel
- Barnes & Noble
- Hester & Cook (Hillsboro Village)
- Cooper Young Gallery + Gift Shop
- Stock & Belle
- Maggie’s Pharm
- Millstone Nursery
- Collected by Elizabeth Malmo
- Mednikow
- The Soap Company
- Tangier Outlets (Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch, Vineyard Vines and Banana Republic)
- Shops at Saddlecreek (Anthropologie, Athleta and Madewell)
- Palladio (rest in peace and in my fury)
Dallas:
- Highland Park Village (Chanel boutique, TWP, Khaite and Staud)
- Sneaker Politics (Deep Ellum)
- 2nd Street vintage (Deep Ellum)
- TheRealReal (Knox/Henderson)
- Ann Mashburn (Knox/Henderson)
New York City:
- Bergdorf Goodman (5f and Shoes)
- Fishs Eddy
- Whitney Museum shop
- Reformation (Flatiron)
- The Frankie Shop (Soho/LES)
- Kith Women’s
- C.O. Bigelow
- Longchamp Flagship x Fifth Avenue
- What Goes Around Comes Around (Wooster St.)
- Jennifer Fisher (Soho)
This list is by no means exhaustive of all the brands/designers that I love, but instead represents some truly fantastic retail interactions I’ve had the past several months. So, why don’t we make a pact to get off the internet and get into the shops? I promise we will all leave with much more than a great new outfit. Xx
I need your retail third spaces— and/or your go-to coffee, power lunch, drink after 5pm, remote work, etc. etc. sanctuaries. Flood the comments. We must save humanity one IRL experience at a time!
**image via the formidable Lucille Clifton— a poem not necessarily about shopping, but most definitely about women who want more than one of everything!
Mimi at The Shop 
I looove this post! As a sociologist, and a shopper also raised in American malls, I find the retail third space an unavoidable and dare I say wonderful part of our social fabric. I think the secret lies in welcoming, positive public components that focus more on vibe and less on sales, as you say. I have now lived in the UK for going on 8 years, and I find the proximity of retail to public, pedestrian outside/inside spaces (cheerio, the High Street!) a fascinating third space. Every few days I switch up my route to and from work to peruse different shops and retail settings, energized by the people watching and taking in the merchandising, quality (or lack thereof) of goods, styling, and general mood of retail workers. Here, too, is the institution that is The Charity Shop, which adds an element of treasure hunting meets philanthropy, all volunteer run, to the experience. I fully understand (and agree with) the need to examine our relationship to growth and consumerism. Fewer, finer things, as our dear friend says. But what better way to think about how to shift and change, than to spend actual, regular time in these retail-third-spaces, feeling and thinking through how we shop- and who we do it with?