Could the Future of Luxury Retail Actually Be Fun?

We have seen the future of retail. And it’s fun. Literally. While old-line department stores and legacy brick and mortar retailers struggle to stay relevant and generate foot traffic, and launch somewhat far-fetched initiatives (we’re looking at you, Saks Fifth Avenue Wellery), on a trip to Martha’s Vineyard, we stumbled across a small retail location that points a clear path to the future for traditional retail. And it’s all about entertainment and fun.

On a busy corner in the town of Vineyard Haven sits a store called Town Pool.

You wouldn’t know it to look at it, actually. There’s no clear signage alerting you that this is a commercial enterprise. From the outside, it actually could be a community center (although not likely the town pool, given its size).

The space used to house a beloved bookstore, Bunch of Grapes, which has moved half a block down the street. We approached Town Pool with wariness and a bit of hostility, given that we love that bookstore, and it had already relocated from its original location three years prior. Still, we wanted to see what the space was being used for now, given its frequent turnover in the past few years.

We were not expecting what we found, and our experience holds some important lessons for luxury retail (in our humble opinion). Spoiler alert! If you plan to visit for yourself, stop reading now so that you can experience the joy of discovery as we did.

Here are 10 things that stayed with us about Town Pool:

1. Greetings. When you approach the entrance of the establishment, which is situated on an elevated stone plaza surrounded by benches and decorative planters, there’s a talkative greeter to meet you. Just behind the greeter, you can spy a narrow entrance, behind which is a small anteroom with shelves filled with nothing but Cheerios. Yep, that’s right. Hundreds of boxes of them, in neat rows. One wall features what appears to be a fireplace and a mantle. The greeter’s patter is about how the store only sells Cheerios, but as you approach the far wall . . . Shazam

2. A Sliding Panel Reveals All. The wall with the mantle slides open like something out of the Arabian Nights, revealing a cavernous retail space behind it. Like a child, this makes anyone a bit giddy with excitement. What is this place?

3. The Colors Have Gone Wild. The first thing that strikes you after entering the large main room of Town Pool is how happy it is. Vineyard Haven is a summer resort town, so happy colors are de rigueur. But even in that context, this is a joyful place: there are well-merchandised vignettes in jaunty red-white-and-blue; cheerful lime-lemon-and-orange; girly pink and boyish blue. Every color story has its own place, and yet somehow they all work together. Your impulse is to explore, and your mood becomes curious, investigative, playful and anticipatory.

4. The Merchandise is Practical and Artisanal. There are no big brands to be found, and no cookie-cutter items anywhere. The store is stocked with niche hand-crafted items, including bow ties made of bird feathers; hand-embroidered belts, cotton shirts, blazers, casual shoes, kids’ clothes and other trinkets that would be perfect souvenirs or host/hostess gifts. It’s a joy to discover a collection of brands you’ve never heard of, given how homogenized global luxury retail has become. This store has a sense of place. And that makes the urgency of purchasing something much more acute – you’re not going to easily find these items elsewhere.

5. The Sales Staff is Friendly. As you wander the store, you encounter staff that is available but not intrusive, happy to explain and answer questions, and have you touch and feel the various items. They’re knowledgeable about the brands and their stories, but not pushing you to buy something. They feel quite a bit like attendants at an amusement park — they’re there to answer your questions, keep you safe, and help you have the maximum amount of enjoyment.

6. There’s a Zero-Gravity Room. Hidden in a back corner of Town Pool is a zero-gravity room where you can pose for a photo that will make it appear that you are suspended in mid-air in a house reminiscent of Pee-Wee’s playhouse. The photo is free, and it takes only 30 seconds to complete the process. The only thing you have to surrender is your email address so that the store can send you your pic. Hello: this is one of the cleverest ways to collect an email address that we have ever seen. It’s also one of the best social media strategies we’ve ever seen. It’s really hard NOT to do a photo, because they really do look cool and upscale. Families with kids were so enamored of this feature that a line formed from time to time, with kids squealing in laughter and unwilling to leave (more time for mom and dad to shop that way). You share your email, you get your photo, you put it up on Instagram and Facebook, and the store is suddenly getting a lot of free marketing from you, but you don’t mind, because it was a happy experience. Win-win!

7. Check-out is a breeze. If you do buy something, it’s very quick and easy to check out. Not quite as good as at an Apple Store, but really not bad.

8. Prices are friendly, and nothing is on sale. The most expensive item in the store is about $500, but the majority are well under $100, making it an easy and accessible shopping experience for all. And nothing is marked down, so there are no signs promoting bargains. Again, like an amusement park – it’s about fun, not about saving a few bucks.

9. The Exit is Instagram Heaven. Customers exit the store via a narrow passageway that opens into what can only be described as “The Dot Room.” In an otherwise non-descript, defiantly non-luxurious room, every wall is covered with circular stickers of about 2 inches in diameter. They’re purple, pink, orange, yellow and green, and distributed randomly and abundantly over every available surface including the windows. You can write a message on “your” dot. You can pose for a selfie in front of one of the walls – or you can do a family photo with an explosion of joyful dots behind you. It’s almost as cool as a selfie at Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors, but with a lot less wait time. And of course your pic can be immediately shared on Instagram and Facebook. You get a cool photo – the store gets more free brand-building. Win-win! If you go, see if you can spot the Dandelion Chandelier dot on the wall – our logo is perfect for this concept! (Hint: we left behind more than one).

10. The Shopping Bags are Keepers. The bright orange shopping tote that we were given to hold our purchases – with the store’s name scribbled on them in navy blue ink – is so cute, sturdy and colorful that we wore it around the island for the rest of our vacation. Helpful additional beach bag or shopping tote for us, and free advertising for the store. Smart.

So who’s behind all of this? We later learned that Town Pool originated on Nantucket, and expanded to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer of 2017. Who says the two islands are totally different? Here’s one thing upon which we can all agree: this store is really good fun.

So here’s the future of retail, in a nutshell: low cost real-estate, artisanal brands and products, experiences as well as merchandise, and ample and easy opportunities for customers to share their experiences on social media. A heavy-trafficked corner location in a wealthy vacation enclave. Not so hard to scale, and not so hard to replicate.

Well played, Town Pool. You’ve made quite a splash.

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