Tracksmith Opens First Permanent Store in New York
Tracksmith has set down permanent roots in New York City.
The Boston-based running brand on Friday will open its third retail location, a 1,500-square-foot store on Wythe Avenue in buzzy Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The store, which the company refers to as a Trackhouse, joins the company’s flagship on Newbury Street in Boston, which opened in 2017, as well as its first international store that opened last month in London.
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Both the New York and London stores were designed by architect Roach Matthews and interior designer Estelle Bailey-Babenzien, who cofounded the Noah brand with her husband Brendon Babenzien. They feature steel, glass, brick, terrazzo, oak flooring and walnut cabinetry designed to provide both a sense of sophistication and warmth.
In New York, a hand-poured terrazzo track with brass detailing runs the length of the store and is intended to reference an athletic track. The same track is on the lower level of the two-floor London unit.
The floors are oak and the cabinets are made from walnut with custom fixtures and modular displays. The walls are adorned with framed photos from the brand’s advertising campaigns, with gold and navy accents reminiscent of the brand’s signature sash that adorns several of its apparel pieces.
The New York store also features a large skylight in the rear that helps spotlight the company’s full men’s and women’s apparel and accessories collection, which is showcased in the space. That includes running shorts, singlets, T-shirts, jackets, hats and other accessories, as well as Tracksmith’s first entry into footwear, the Eliot Runner, which debuted in September. The New York store also features a Rapid Transit collection that is both run-friendly and office-friendly, the company said.
The locations for the New York and London stores were well researched to ensure they fit into the brand’s wheelhouse. Both cities host major marathons and have large, vibrant running communities consisting of both elite and recreational athletes. The London Trackhouse sits equidistant between Hyde Park and Regents Park, and is a short jog from Paddington Rec, with its free-to-use community track where Roger Bannister famously trained to break the four-minute mile in 1954. In Brooklyn, the New York Trackhouse is situated between McCarren Track, Williamsburg Bridge and the East River Track.
In all of its stores, Tracksmith creates hubs for local running communities with lockers. In New York, runners can leave a bag while they work out. The brand also hosts weekly speed sessions and a long run led by local community managers.
“Boston and New York are America’s running culture capitals, so New York has always been part of our brand road map. We’ve been building our presence and a community in NYC since 2015 when we did our first pop-up. Over the last two years, we’ve been organizing group runs in the city and excursions up to Beacon and the feedback has been consistently positive. We knew it was time for a permanent retail presence that served as a hub for runners. We’re thrilled to be in Brooklyn, surrounded by amazing running, a global and vibrant community, and a thriving race scene,” said Matt Taylor, founder and chief executive officer of Tracksmith.
Taylor is a true historian of running and studied the roots of the sport — from gold medal-winning performances to the evolution of the fabrics and details that are best suited for competitive athletes and weekend warriors. He turned his passion into a business, creating Tracksmith in 2014 to service runners with high-quality gear for their training and racing. Since then, it has become popular for its classically styled athletic apparel.
Since launching, Tracksmith has created capsules with famed marathoner Bill Rodgers as well as J. Crew and Taylor Stitch, among others.
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