Bloomingdale’s is breaking ground on a new concept seizing on the trend toward small-format stores.
On Wednesday, the heritage American department store announced plans to unveil its first “Bloomie’s” location, featuring a shrunken footprint, a highly curated and revolving assortment, tech-enabled customer service, and an in-house restaurant. Located in Virginia’s Mosaic Shopping Center, the 22,000-square-foot introductory location in Fairfax will open on Aug. 26, the company said.
“Bloomie’s has always been a term of affection from our loyal customers,” Bloomingdale’s CEO Tony Spring said in a statement. The new Bloomie’s concept aims to “deliver everything they love about Bloomingdale’s in a highly edited, convenient, and unexpected way,” Spring added.
“We’ve been part of the Washington, D.C., metro area community for decades, and we are excited to welcome new and longtime customers to Bloomie’s to be the first to shop this fresh and casual experience,” he said.
The store will carry a selection of contemporary and luxury fashion brands for men and women, along with a range of beauty products. The rotating range will be furnished with new deliveries multiple times per week, the company said, allowing frequent shoppers to find something new each time they visit. Bloomie’s buyers will assort the store with a mix of top designers and emerging labels, focusing on ready-to-wear styles, denim, activewear, intimates, footwear, handbags, accessories and fine jewelry.
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The Fairfax location will open its doors with a range of apparel from brands like Ganni, Staud, Maje, Rag & Bone, Cult Gaia, Jonathan Simkhai Standard, LoveShackFancy, Moussy, Mother, Frame, Re/Done and Aqua, along with footwear styles by Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Proenza Schouler, MCM, Loeffler Randall, Birkenstock and Golden Goose, Bloomingdale’s said. Handbags from premium brands including Mansur Gavriel, Marc Jacobs and See by Chloe, as well as accessories from Gucci, Celine, Dior, Saint Laurent, and Prada will also stock store’s shelves.
Amid the continued athletic apparel boom, the store has built out a robust selection from brands like Stella McCartney, Alo Yoga, Koral, Y-3, and Nike, along with footwear ranging from designer styles to training shoes. The men’s selection will feature clothing, shoes and accessories from Vince, Helmut Lang, Salomon, Barbour, and McQ, among other labels.
And as omnichannel services have become nearly indispensable to pandemic-era shoppers, Bloomie’s will offer both buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup as options. Consumers can also make returns from any Bloomingdale’s channel at the location’s front desk, and request customization and alteration services in-house.
The department store chain has also equipped its newest storefront with a suite of tech-enabled tools designed to enhance the shopper experience. According to Bloomingdale’s, the store’s stylists will be empowered to sell goods from across the company’s channels—from other nearby stores, to the New York City flagship on 59th St.—as well as the products offered online. Consumers can request help to their fitting rooms with the push of a button.
Meanwhile, the location will feature a full-service dining experience powered by the D.C.-area franchise Colada Shop, serving cocktails, coffee and Cuban fare at an indoor seating area or outdoor patio during the warmer months. “My team and I are incredibly excited to become part of one of the DMV’s most innovative retail and entertainment communities,” Daniella Senior, the franchise’s co-founder and CEO said, referring to the popular Mosaic Shopping Center, which houses stores like Anthropologie, Lululemon, Madewell, Sephora and Target, along with the Angelika Film Center and a variety of restaurants.
In the lead up to its launch, Bloomie’s will tease the late-August opening with a number of activations at the shopping center, it said.