If you’re at NRF over the next few days, then you’ve probably got a packed schedule already.

But it would be a real shame to be in one of the great retail cities and not actually see any retail in person. Because as much as we love to talk about retail – and we really love doing that – there’s nothing like being in a store and seeing what’s working and how customers are responding.

We weren’t actually going to share this list as a blog post. But we figured that if you’re short on time, then you need to be intentional about the stores you visit and maybe these recommendations can help with that.

And if you’re not in New York this weekend, this list gives you a taste of the best retail use cases in the city right now. You can file it away for your next visit – whenever that may be.

Remember, if you are checking out these stores in person, they are located in various places across the city, so make sure you check address details and store opening times before you visit.

 

1. Pop Up Grocer

Walking into Pop Up Grocer means you probably won’t recognise a single food brand on sale. And that’s the exciting thing.

Originally online-only, this is a platform that reinvents grocery shopping through pop-ups built around discovering new and independent food brands.

This is the brand’s first permanent store and looks nothing like traditional grocery spaces. The design and merchandising are all about discovery and inspiration and fun.

It’s also not just a nice façade. All of the products on sale are carefully curated based on Pop Up Grocer’s strict criteria and rotate regularly. And because consumers know there will always be something new, they come back.

A brilliant example of the store playing a different role, with a focus on testing, learning and discovery – rather than selling.

 

2. Avestan

Avestan is an anomaly in the fragrance world.

It has an ultra-luxurious model in one way – one scent that is only available in one store – and a mass market one in another because the fragrance is incredibly affordable.

The scent in question is the last perfume designed by pioneering cosmetics entrepreneur and Deciem founder Brandon Truaxe before he died. The only place in the world to experience it is Avestan’s London store. You can’t even buy it online.

Until now, because this brand-new space is only Avestan’s second store ever. Rather than selling the same scent as the London store, the New York space has its own new, location-exclusive fragrance that you can only buy there.

Well worth a visit for a brilliant bit of brand storytelling and to get you thinking about what luxury actually means.

 

3. Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton continues to change the pop-up game. Because despite the size and scale of this space, this is technically a pop-up, designed to be open for a few years while the nearby Lous Vuitton flagship is being renovated.

Spanning five floors, the level of commitment to the design and merchandising of this space is incredible. Nothing about it feels temporary as Louis Vuitton completely commits to maintaining the level of service and quality that consumers expect of it.

Even though it’s a temporary store, Louis Vuitton is also introducing new concepts, including the brand’s first US chocolate shop, and a library-themed food and beverage space called Le Café Louis Vuitton, which hosts a curated collection of 600+ books.

It’s a great space to walk around if you want to understand what it’s like when a brand shows complete commitment to its DNA and its customers.

 

4. Trader Joe’s Union Square/Trader Joe’s Pronto

You may have heard us talk about Trader Joe’s before but that’s because we honestly think it might be the best grocery chain in the US. It’s also one that is growing.

The big difference between Trader Joe’s and other supermarket chains is that its customers seem to genuinely love it. And a lot of this is down to the fact that the stores are very humanised.

Every Trader Joe’s employs its own, local, in-house artist. Every single price label is handwritten, and every bit of the wonderful merchandising and visual displays is hand-painted or drawn. It makes each store feel like it belongs to that area and consumers buy into that because they also belong to the areas that they live and work in.

Union Square is also home to the only Trader Joe’s Pronto in the world, which is a small grab-and-go space for locals and tourists to quickly pick up items. It’s another example of Trader Joe’s smart thinking by creating different experiences for different customers.

 

5. H&M SoHo (591 Broadway)

One thing we can say about Swedish fashion giant H&M is that it’s always trying something new with its stores.

This space has the brand’s first shop-in-shop in the US for pre-loved items, which taps into the growing trend for making resale part of the high street mix.

H&M has also thought about the local area when curating the ranges it adds to this space to reflect the trends and interests of customers in the neighbourhood. Localisation like this helps to make stores feel more relevant and give customers a sense of ownership and recognition.

This is also a good store to visit if you want to see how new checkout and fitting room tech functions in practice. Smart mirrors in the fitting rooms use RFID tech and AI to identify items and offer styling and product recommendations. Customers can also make requests for other styles and sizes to be brought to them.

 

6. Shopify NYC

No this isn’t a brand-new space. But if you haven’t visited it before, we still think that it is well worth your time.

There was a period when many digital platforms opened stores or pop-ups to connect with their customers and consumers. None have stuck like Shopify’s space though.

Mostly because it doesn’t feel like a horrible marketing exercise or an inauthentic attempt at community building. This is a space that feels genuinely committed to helping local entrepreneurs connect and grow.

For example, the on-site photo studios give Shopify customers a place to capture high quality photos for their website. Events and workshops help upskill sellers and the store also hosts pop-up stores from Shopify members that give them a chance to physically sell products from a fantastic, central location.

It’s a space for everyone, whether you’re a member of the public or a Shopify seller, but it also does a great job of showcasing Shopify to potential customers.

 

7. Petco Union Square

This is a genuinely great space to visit if you want to see how any retail category can be made more premium.

Whether you’ve never been in a pet store before or are familiar with typical spaces, Petco’s store isn’t anything like what you’d expect. But it also perfectly balances marketing, selling and service.

The displays and merchandising are all engaging and memorable, as well as products being well categorised and easy to find, which makes it a pleasure to walk around.

Services aren’t an add-on either. Instead, Petco leads with them giving space over to wash stations, grooming services, a full vet centre, and a JustFoodForDogs kitchen where you can buy human-grade pet food, made by chefs. None of them are gimmicky or out of place, and all of them are being used by actual customers.

The space succeeds because you can see that Petco understands that pet owners see their pets as part of the family and treats them with the same level of importance.

 

8. Telfar

Luxury brand Telfar, famous for its Bushwick Birkin bag, has chosen the location for its first flagship store carefully.

The local area is well known for offering dupes of luxury items, including fake versions of Telfar’s bags. By putting an official retail outlet right into the heart of that, Telfar is facing down the issue head on.

Prospective customers can see for themselves the difference between the real thing and the fakes down the road, and Telfar is betting that they’ll prefer the real thing.

It’s also a great space to visit to see how a digitally driven brand translates to physical retail. Telfar has typically released new bags via an online drop model, but in the store customers can shop the range all year round. The store also offers ‘off-menu’ items, such as bags that haven’t been released yet.

Telfar is also taking inspiration from its TV channel, TelfarTV, by adding a TV studio to the store where shoppers can film content that can be displayed on screens in the store and its window. This gives them a sense of being part of the brand rather than passive consumers.

 

9. Golden Goose Forward SoHo

A luxury brand for the next generation, Golden Goose’s sneakers share a common thread with its stores – a focus on craftsmanship.

What’s interesting is that the brand has taken that commitment to quality further than most via its Forward Stores. This concept is based on four pillars – repair, remake, resell and recycle – and all about extending a product’s lifecycle as much as possible by making use of the craftsmanship skills that Golden Goose uses to make its new products.

Customers who visit this store can bring in footwear from any brand to the store and take advantage of the services on offer, from washing to sanitising, repairing and replacing, restoration and conservation.

It’s a must-go space if you want to see how the role of the store – and of brands – can evolve from just selling to services.

 

10. The Travel Agency Union Square

This is not that kind of travel agency.

The Travel Agency is actually a legal cannabis dispensary (so you’ll need your ID if you want to visit) with a mission. This BIPOC founded company believes that legal cannabis has the power to repair the damage caused by the war on drugs.

This location directs over half of its profits to The Doe Fund, which provides transitional and permanent housing, employment and support services to people who have experienced homelessness and incarceration.

The Travel Agency also hires formerly incarcerated and legacy operators with support from community partners. All staff undergo full classroom and practical training, as well as ongoing weekly education, so they can provide customers with an informed and personal service.

The Travel Agency may not be the kind of store you expect to see on a list like this, but that’s why it belongs here. It’s a fantastic example of purpose-driven retail, as well as of the changing nature of wellness retail. Spaces like this help to break down stereotypes around its products by positioning them in a high-end retail space.