Hourglass is getting back into the brick-and-mortar game.
On the heels of testing the waters last year with a Barneys New York pop-up, Hourglass is taking the same space in SoHo, New York, as its new global flagship.
The 1,500-square-foot storefront was meant to be an “environment and space that felt like you were coming into my home. We wanted this retail experience to feel very engaging, very intimate, and very warm,” said Carisa Janes, founder of Hourglass. “It’s not a traditional beauty destination.”
TMR Design and Crozier Studies designed the space, which eschews digital screens in favor of intimate gathering spaces and natural materials.
In that vein, the counters housing the brand’s core collection are actually separate plinths that can be repurposed and repositioned, or cleared out entirely should the brand use the space to host an event. “We used a combination of stone, metal and wood for the main structures of the space. They house each franchise, but that’s all modular,” Janes said.
Janes also ideated a few separate sitting areas for customers to test products more casually. “In the front of the space, there’s a big couch, where you can just sit and try makeup. I’d love to have new products out,” Janes said. “You can come and play and sit down, and you don’t have to book a makeover.”
The store features a dedicated gifting area with customizable gift wrapping, as well as vanities on the opposite wall for makeup trials. “We put the mirrors in front of the windows so you get all of that beautiful natural light,” Janes said.
It’s not the brand’s first go at physical retail, having had two stores that closed during the pandemic. “I do know this world to a certain degree,” Janes said. “The beauty shopping experience can feel very chaotic, and I wanted this to be the opposite of that. We learned a lot during the Barneys pop-up.”
Among those learnings was the success of live events and programming in the space, and there will also be exclusive product drops, master classes, art installations and trunk shows.
“We realized there was such an appetite for community and for a physical space to bring together community,” Janes said of the experiences offered at the Barneys New York pop-up. “This brings people into the Hourglass world.”
Janes mused that the space could be used for small-scale focus groups, and bringing shoppers into the fold for new products pre-launch. “What if we wanted to try a fragrance? We could just get feedback from our community. This is such an opportunity to be close to the customer,” she said.
Whether or not the brand would open more stand-alone brick-and-mortar stores, Janes didn’t rule it out, but didn’t guarantee it either. “If it works, yes,” Janes said. “But it’s not like we’re opening 20 stores in the next three years.”
