NYC's first-ever Neiman Marcus just opened in Hudson Yards. The CEO has described the store as a 'magical' and 'immersive' experience - here's what I found inside
New York City's first Neiman Marcus just opened at Hudson Yards, the new $25 billion neighborhood on Manhattan's west side that includes office buildings, luxury residential towers, a public plaza, and a 150-foot climbable sculpture called the Vessel.
I got a peek of the brand-new Neiman Marcus on opening day, but I went back a few days later to take a full tour.
Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO of Neiman Marcus Group, says the new store adapts to how the next generation of luxury customers shop.
Source: Neiman Marcus
"Neiman Marcus Hudson Yards will be all about providing physical and digital experiences in a way not seen at other stores, creating a personal customer experience that is seamless and magical," van Raemdonck said in a press release.
Stepping inside to the first level of the store, on the fifth floor of the building, I found myself in the accessories department.
Luxury handbags were all around, from Balmain to Versace to Louis Vuitton.
I asked the Neiman Marcus Group CEO why this is the first Neiman Marcus store in NYC. "New York has always been a core part of our business," van Raemdonck said. Neiman Marcus already has a base of "over a hundred thousand luxury customers" in Manhattan that have generated $100 million in sales in the greater NYC area, he said.
When there was an opportunity for Neiman Marcus to open at Hudson Yards, "we quickly moved on it," he said.
This Neiman Marcus has several features not seen in the other locations, such as a pop-up florist in case you're shopping for both luxury purses and fresh flowers.
On the fifth floor, there are the usual luxury suspects, from Chanel ...
... to Saint Laurent ...
... to Chloé.
There was an extensive sneaker collection — a logical move, considering millennials' love for athleisure and sneakers as a status symbol.
Source: Business Insider
The fifth floor is also home to the beauty and fragrances department, selling products from Dior foundation, which ranges from $40 to $82 ...
Source: Dior
Unique to Neiman Marcus Hudson Yards are the beauty treatment rooms and spa services, which include a LED LightStim light therapy bed.
Source: Neiman Marcus
Also on the fifth floor is the Cook + Merchants space.
There, you can find a chocolate shop, a retail space selling sweets and other gifts ...
... and a coffee shop.
There's also a test kitchen that offers demonstrations, tastings, and mixology classes.
A café sitting area extends into the corridor of the main shopping center.
Van Raemdonck says the Hudson Yards location is all about "retail theater" and the "immersive experience."
One aspect of this, he said, is the 60 Vidari digital screens outfitted throughout the store, which can live stream events happening in other parts of the store or in other stores. When I was there, the screens were simply showing the store directory.
Source: Forbes
I headed up to the sixth floor, which is where you can find men's clothing, one of the store's restaurants, and a clothing personalization service called Atelier Notify.
Atelier Notify is a customizable shop that offers embroidery, painting, patchwork, distressing, and embellishments.
Source: Neiman Marcus
Also on the sixth floor is a performance venue called Neiman Marcus Live, which will hold concerts, fashion shows, book tours, podcast recordings, and guest speakers. It must blend in well with the rest of the store — which was perhaps the intention — as I didn't even notice it on my walkthrough.
Visitors to the store are free to play vintage arcade games scattered around the men's section on the sixth floor.
This seemed to be part of the "immersive experience" concept, but I'm not sure playing a video game is something I'd necessarily be interested in doing while shopping.
I went to get a look at Bar Stanley, which looks out over the public plaza and the Vessel, the 150-foot tall climbable sculpture. The menu includes specialty cocktails, wines, beers, non-alcoholic drinks, and "upscale casual dining."
Source: Neiman Marcus
The men's department sells everything from patterned Etro button-up shirts ...
... to Tom Ford suits.
There's a walk-up barber station from Bevel for those in need of a quick shave.
On the seventh floor are the designer collections, which include stunning ballgowns from brands like Oscar de la Renta, which run a cool $5,000 to $10,000 a piece.
Source: Oscar de la Renta
The seventh floor is also home to the jewelry department and the BLVD beauty salon, which offers services including blowouts, manicures, pedicures, nail art, lash extensions, laser hair removal, waxing, brow shaping, and peel services.
Source: Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus added online personal stylists to its websites in 2018, and on the top floor of the Hudson Yards store you can find a Digital Styling Lounge, where shoppers can meet their digital stylists from the website in person.
Source: Forbes
I was particularly looking forward to checking out the Zodiac Room, Neiman Marcus' fine dining destination on the seventh floor at this location.
But it wasn't open yet when I came by in the morning, so I only got a glimpse of the space, where it appeared staff was eating before it opened up at 11:30 am.
The CEO said that Neiman Marcus Hudson Yards should create "a personal customer experience that is seamless and magical."
I've never visited another Neiman Marcus store, and I can't speak to the shopping experience at the Hudson Yards store, as I didn't purchase anything.
Design-wise, I did find aspects of the store to be beautifully arranged, with comfortable yet stylish seating and ornate light fixtures.
Like just about everything else I've seen in Hudson Yards — from luxury residential buildings to a "third space" that charges $6 for 30 minutes of access to napping pods and meditation stations, NYC's Neiman Marcus combines a lot of varied services into a single space.
The store was definitely modern and it had some unexpected features — namely the arcades — but ultimately, from walking through it, I have to say that it felt more or less like any other department store I've been in.
In a city that already has several famous department stores, from Bloomingdale's to Barney's, I look forward to seeing how Neiman Marcus will fare.
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