Los Angeles-based Sole Society has officially made the leap from clicks to bricks. The women’s lifestyle brand, which gained a following for its $100-and-under shoes when it launched in 2011, opened its first brick-and-mortar retail store at Santa Monica on Wednesday. Sole Society began selling products at Nordstrom stores last summer.
The new store features the brand’s full line of footwear, handbags, jewelry, scarves and hats, as well as limited-edition styles that have not yet become available online. Shoppers are met with a sleek interior featuring plush lounge furniture and a soothing material story of stone, natural wood and matte metallic befitting its beachy nabe. True to the company’s online roots, an in-store digital kiosk acts as a “virtual concierge” allowing customers to send gifts, mail purchases home and search Sole Society’s entire inventory. Customers can also return or exchange online purchases in-store.
The Sole Society store plans to partner with like-minded brands and local designers to offer a revolving collection of apparel, home and beauty products. To start, the brand is collaborating with LA-based sustainable designer StyleSaint for a line of eco-friendly apparel to pair with Sole Society’s shoes and accessories. The collaboration is also available online.
In a press release, Sole Society CEO Andy Solomon, said, “Having built a great customer base and thriving brand through our own online business and Nordstrom, we take the exciting step of opening our first store. We are now able to present our LA-based customers the opportunity to interact with us and our product in an innovative, new retail environment.”