Mindfulness and tranquility brought to you by Alo Yoga is now in Santa Monica, Calif.
The yoga brand — which has seen celebrities such as Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner — on Thursday opened its second location. The new space is 6,000 square feet with 20-foot ceilings, blond oak elements, cement flooring and a coffee bar serving as a destination unto itself amid the bustling Third Street Promenade. The Santa Monica store follows the opening last April of the company’s Beverly Hills door, which marked its foray into brick and mortar.
The choice to locate in Santa Monica is an “on-brand” move for the business with the city’s large practicing yoga community and overall healthy living, said owner Danny Harris. Plus, it’s a high-traffic area frequented by locals and tourists alike.
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Harris, along with Marco deGeorge, started Alo Yoga’s parent Color Image Inc., which is also parent to the Bella + Canvas and Bella Luxx lines.
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The multiuse concept store where visitors can shop, take classes or hang out and sip coffee or juice appears to be paying off.
While the privately held company does not disclose financial information, Harris said the Beverly Hills store is double the company’s original forecast. More importantly, Harris said, is the fact that it’s become more than just a place to transact, which is how the company intends to win at retail.
“Our community isn’t just looking for a place to buy clothing and then: ‘See you later. Have a nice day.’ It’s really a place for them to gather, hang out [and] learn from each other,” Harris said.
The performance of the Beverly Hills store has given the company confidence to grow brick-in-mortar in what Harris described as an aggressive retail growth plan focused on the U.S. in the short term. It’s the opposite strategy of many U.S. retailers that are currently rationalizing their store fleets or, in some cases, closing up shop altogether. Additionally, the company is looking to absorb sizable boxes, with Harris saying he’s not currently looking at anything smaller than 7,000 square feet.
“For us, we’re running to brick and mortar,” Harris said. “We like to do things differently. When normally a crowd goes one way, we typically go another way. We are building sanctuaries. We are not building stores…. We’re not talking to customers. We’re opening up engagement with our customer. If you were to shop at a lot of these traditional [retailers] they just talk to their customers…. It’s a very collaborative environment in the Alo retail stores.”