Immersive Lifestyle Store Showfields Opens Georgetown Location
Showfields – an RIS 2022 Hot Retail Startup – is opening a fourth location in Georgetown. The new store will be built around the same “industry-disrupting” concept as the company’s other locations, and will feature over 70 brands, including Black-owned businesses, emerging brands, vegan leather products, and small batch skincare and beauty companies.
Founded in 2018, Showfields has positioned itself as “the ultimate curator,” bringing together immersive store experiences, innovative retail communities and mission-driven brands since starting out. The retailer also runs on a reverse business model, allowing brands to run flexible, fixed-price, six-month campaigns instead of getting revenue from brand sales, it allows brands to run affordable and flexible six-month campaigns, along with all the sales, data and insights garnered during this time.
“By doing so, we can now curate these brands through the Showfields lens ensuring all our products are inspiring, well-made, artistic and mission-driven,” Nathanel shared. “It is through this process that we can serve up what we refer to as ‘the most interesting’ brands from around the world and trigger wonder and inspiration for all who cross through the threshold of our front door.”
The first of their stores of this kind opened in Brooklyn in November 2022, and the Georgetown location will follow the same format and flow, with the three-storey space divided into departments representing a room of a house. Showfields also has piloted store concepts in Manhattan, Miami and Los Angeles. Situated in a former Brooks Brothers store, the design of the latest location is centered around sustainability, innovation and vibrancy, while retaining the spirit of the building itself.
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On the ground floor, shoppers can explore haircare and beauty products from black-owned companies, along with jewelry, homeware, and vitamins. Moving to the second floor, guests will have access to a variety of products from Mari Kondo’s KonMari line, along with pickleball gear and vegan leather handbags. For the kids, Showfields will feature a selection of stores selling Connectix Tiles, Piccolina clothing and modern-art inspired playsets from Follies.
In a recent conversation with RIS, Showfields’ CEO Tal Zvi Nathanel explained that,“the traditional retail model is based on the questions of ‘What’s going to sell’ and combining this with the goal of reducing risk. The result is that over time, the customer is forced into a position where they can only see ‘known’ or ‘familiar’ brands/products. In contrast, at Showfields we wanted to ask a different question — ‘What is interesting? What is new? What is innovative? What is pushing the envelope?’”
The store is now open and will host a series of free events to celebrate and mark the occasion.