The Store, Berlin

On our recent trip to Berlin we popped into Soho House in the ultra cool Mitte district, only to find something new and really rather charming.

On the ground floor, a huge lounge space has appeared, with a wonderfully eclectic mix of cafe, gallery and retail.

It turns out that this is a new hybrid retail, art and hospitality concept called The Store, which is both part of, and separate from Soho House.

The Store bills itself as a cultural hub; 2,800 sqm of food, fashion, art installations, co-working and photography.

This has a private members / creative agency vibe, but it’s open to everyone; so bringing Soho House cool to the masses.

The concept has been curated by British fashion expert Alex Eagle, who has also just opened her first boutique in London.

“We wanted to create a place where people could spend all day. A light, fresh and fun space where guests can shop, work, eat, drink and hang out. Like an open, shop-able private home for everyone to spend time and where everything is for sale from the candle burning, record playing to the sofa you sit on. ” Alex Eagle, Creative Director

The retail element of The Store includes Fashion, Beauty, Design, Magazines, Books, Furniture and Music.

The fashion brands represented include Balenciaga, The Row, Jil Sander, Christophe Lemaire, Proenza Schouler, Rosetta Getty, Issey Miyake, Junya Watanabe, Alex Eagle own brand and collaborations.

The space also features a beauty offer with Barber & Parlour, as seen on London’s Redchurch Street.

The Store’s aesthetic is industrial loft style with plenty of mid century furniture, graphic dressed concrete columns, art installations, pop up installations, and plenty of cool nooks to hang out.

This is all really interesting because it powerfully illustrates how trends in hospitality and retail are crystallising and evolving together. Put simply the whole concept is a template for the future of retail.

Soho House is probably the wold’s most innovative private members club group, driven by the creative genius of Nick House.

The group has spawned some of the world’s coolest venues, but has now turned its hands to creating ultra cool new food brands; from Dirty Burger and Chicken Shop to Pizza East – brands which are now poised to stand alone and fly out globally. There is a new Pizza East restaurant opening to the other side of the Store, helping to make Soho House Berlin a total destination.

For other brands looking on, there are powerful lessons here:

By combining exclusive club membership, with a hotel, and retail and restaurant spaces – all united though cutting edge design cool, you give everyone a reason to visit.

By anchoring welcoming hospitality and great food, there’s reasons to hang out for ages.

And by adding an eclectic, ever changing mix of art, lifestyle and fashion, there’s always a reason to come back.

This is on-trend retail genius.