Allbirds is opening stores: see inside NYC location

Allbirds just opened its first flagship store in NYC.Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

• Allbirds, the company behind the so-called “world’s most comfortable shoe,” just opened its first  permanent flagship store in New York City. 
• The store is around the corner from its temporary store in SoHo. It’s the first flagship store from the company, and it’s meant to be organic and “undesigned,” like the shoes themselves. 
• We visited the flagship store the day that it opened. Here’s what it was like. 

Allbirds, the company behind the so-called “world’s most comfortable shoe,” just opened up a permanent flagship store in New York City. 

Allbirds started out as an online-only retailer in 2014 and opened its first brick-and-mortar store in 2017. The new, permanent store is located around the corner from the brand’s temporary spot on Prince Street in SoHo, and at more than 4,800 square feet, it’s more than twice the size.

The Allbirds flagship is meant to reflect the shoes in that it is “un-designed” and comfortable, a company spokesperson said in an email about the store opening. The store is very minimalist, with just a handful of shoes on display and nothing in the center of the space besides chairs meant for trying on shoes. It also has a service bar to help shoppers find the right shoe size.

“Given how tactile our product and brand story is, it’s important that we continue to create these opportunities to interact with customers,” Allbirds co-founder Joey Zwillinger said to CNBC.  The store was designed in collaboration with Partners & Spade.

The flagship store was also designed with scale in mind. Allbirds has signed leases on spaces in Chicago and Boston, and it is also considering locations in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. The brand is planning on opening eight stores in the United States in the next year and potentially two more globally. 

We visited Allbirds’ flagship store in New York City on the day it opened. Here’s what it was like: