Dimapur, June 18 (EMN): After years of flirting with the idea of a physical store, Google has finally opened its first-ever brick-and-mortar retail store in New York yesterday. The 5,000 square feet store is situated in the Chelsea area and customers will be able to browse through an extensive selection of hardware and software products made by Google, ranging from Pixel phones, Stadia, WearOS, Nest and Fitbit devices.
"Thanks to everyone who stopped by our new Google Store in NYC. It's a beautiful space and one of <215 retail spaces in the world with a LEED Platinum rating. Can't wait to check it out next time I'm in town," Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a tweet on Friday.
A report from TechCrunch claims that the retail area was previously occupied by a post office and Starbucks which vacated the premises once their leases expired.
And that's a wrap on day 1! Thanks to everyone who stopped by our new Google Store in NYC. It's a beautiful space and one of <215 retail spaces in the world with a LEED Platinum rating. Can't wait to check it out next time I'm in town:) pic.twitter.com/4U0KTWmUTE
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) June 18, 2021
The Google Store has a natural look, with warm wood walls and furniture, unlike Apple's minimalist approach. The Google store was apparently designed by Ivy Ross, Google’s VP of hardware design.
The Google Store has "Sandbox" areas for Pixel, Stadia, and Nest products and a "workshop" space where Google will host regular events and lessons. There is also a rotating exhibit called the "Google Imagination Space," where a customer is surrounded by multiple vertical screens. Right now, it is showcasing Google's real-time language translation technology.
"Throughout the store, visitors will be able to experience how our products and services work together in a variety of immersive ways, which we're excited to share more about when the doors open," said Jason Rosenthal, VP, Direct Channels and Membership at Google.