Walking into any Shinola store is a special experience. Walking into the new Shinola store in Brooklyn takes that experience to a new level. It’s the lauded American company’s first venture into the borough and for lovers of handsome, stylish and timeless goods, it’s a must-visit.
The new store opening joins the brand’s other NYC location in Tribeca, and comes as the company expands its presence worldwide — continuing to make stellar watches and leather goods in the process. Other notable shops include locations in downtown L.A. and London, but the Brooklyn location boasts an environment all its own.
Shinola stores are more than just an outpost for the brand’s crisply designed watches and handsome accessories — everything from slim wallets to leather bags have a home in a Shinola shop. It’s this approach that has turned the brand into a lifestyle destination for the style-conscious shopper — and it means the Shinola shop in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood will feature everything from a new Smile To Go cafe location, to the brand’s custom watch bar (the Willard Program). The 360-degree effort reflects the Shinola mindset from the brand’s beginnings, Creative Director Daniel Caudill said.
“The stores were meant to show … what our world looked like,” Caudill said in the days leading up to the shop’s mid-April opening. Housed in a beautiful brick building on a cobblestone street, it’s the perfect location for the brand, which strives to incorporate the “same elements, but a slightly different feel” in every shop, Caudill said. To that end, the brand worked with NYC-based Gachot Studios to craft a location that feels refined-yet-accessible — great news if you’re in need of a watch, a journal, a subtly stylish pen or a summer-ready leather bag.
To be sure, the Brooklyn shop offers all the goods that a design fan could want. That includes beautiful turntables, head-turning wall clocks made in collaboration with GE, and newer pieces like the historically inspired Jackie Robinson capsule, part of the brand’s Great Americans Series.
And the brand isn’t done yet. In keeping with its new “Roll Up Our Sleeves” campaign, Shinola is getting to work and has plans to open stores in locations as varied as NYC’s SoHo neighborhood and Denver this year alone.
Shoppers are guaranteed a unique experience — and some very high-quality goods — no matter where they go, Caudill said.
“They’ll all feel a little different,” he said. “We’re really diverse in every location.”
If you haven’t caught on yet, that means there are plenty more Shinola stores worth visiting — grab your Shinola watch and hit the road.
