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Re:store Is Bringing Internet-Favorite Brands Offline

Re:store is the so-called “WeWork for Retail,” but it doesn’t let just anyone enter the clubhouse.
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Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know

Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.

Fill the Starcourt Mall with 70 VSCO girl-favorited brands. Then condense it to the size of a townhouse and offer in-store workspace for the brand founders. That’s the blueprint for Re:store, a retail concept shop that opened earlier this month in San Francisco.

Re:store packs over 1,000 items from online brands into a three-story offline storefront-slash-community. The so-called “WeWork for Retail” doesn’t let just anyone enter the clubhouse, though:

  • Dues are required. It costs brands $350 per month to sell in Re:store, plus 20% of annual sales. For $550 per month, they get a co-working spot in the building; $850 gets inventory services.
  • So is fandom. The “best fits” are brands that have been around for at least four years and tally over 10,000 followers on social media.
  • And influencer endorsements. The first round of inventory was partially curated by Alyssa Coscarelli, a former Refinery29 editor with her own 253K-strong Instagram audience.

Why concepts like Re:store could thrive: Astronomical rents on retail properties in major cities can prevent fan-favorite brands from entering physical retail. Bringing several brands with online fanbases together to split rent could be a workaround.

Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know

Retail Brew delivers the latest retail industry news and insights surrounding marketing, DTC, and e-commerce to keep leaders and decision-makers up to date.

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