5 Reasons Your Retail Store Should Add a Community Space.

In today's competitive retail landscape, consumers are seeking more than just products to spend their money on. They want to support socially responsible companies that give back, make eco-conscious efforts, and have fair-trade production, just to name a few. If your retail space is not sharing how your brand is making an impact, you are losing potential customers. One way retailers have found success in connecting with today’s consumers is by adding community spaces inside their shops and spaces. Below are the 5 reasons why adding a community space to your retail store is a necessity in today’s competitive retail landscape. 

1. Retail Community Spaces increase time spent inside shops.

Community spaces have the power to extend the amount of time customers spend inside your retail space. Whether attending a yoga class, participating in a gear swap, or simply enjoying a cup of coffee with fellow outdoor enthusiasts, customers linger longer when there's a welcoming space to relax and connect. Increased time inside retail spaces always leads to more significant sales. 

Patagonia Kids at Vail Village. (2022).

In this Vail Kids Patagonia store, we added a space for kids to play. This design choice makes it more enjoyable for parents to spend time shopping while giving their children a positive experience inside the retailer. 

Backcountry at the Grove in LA. (2023) Fashion Network. https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Backcountry-to-open-first-california-flagship-at-the-grove-los-angeles,1539313.html

The flagship Backcountry store at the Grove in LA includes an inviting seating area for customers to hang out and relax. This design choice lets customers take a break to consider product decisions while staying inside the Backcountry retail space. 

2. Retail Community Spaces help build Brand Identity. 

Community spaces serve as a physical manifestation of your brand's values and identity through the ability to host events. Whether it's holding workshops, exercise classes, or simply a place to meet up, a retailer's community space communicates what your brand stands for to create lasting impressions on customers. 

Patagonia Chicago, Worn Wear Event. (2022). Photographer: Shawn M. Pridgen.

Patagonia holds events to help and encourage customers to fix worn-down gear instead of purchasing new. This shows customers that their brand encourages sustainability and environmental health over profits. 

Patagonia London Pop-up. (2019) Edie.net. https://www.edie.net/action-works-patagonia-opens-pop-up-activist-cafe-in-london/

Patagonia London ran a popup cafe for just a few weeks in 2019 for local non-profit groups to use for meetings, cementing that Patagonia supports community-centric giving.

3. Retail Community Spaces cultivate Brand Loyalty by Creating a Sense of Belonging.

While the primary goal of a community space isn’t tied directly to sales, they do influence purchasing decisions through cultivating brand loyalty. Retailers that have community spaces foster a greater sense of belonging. This leads to customers leaving reviews, sharing recommendations with others, and making specific retailers their go-to for all related products.

Gymshark London Flagship. (2022) Women’s Health. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/gym-wear/a41766701/gymshark-store

Much more than a seating area, Gymshark built dedicated spaces for their customers to take workout classes in their store. This creates a place for their target audience to connect with others who share similar passions inside their retail space. 

Rapha Copenhagen Clubhouse. Rapha.cc. https://content.rapha.cc/us/en/clubhouses

Rapha created cafe community spaces as a place for people with similar interests to gather, as a priority over selling products. This fosters brand loyalty through belonging. 

4. Community Spaces solidify Retailers in the Community. 

Community spaces allow retailers dedicated areas to showcase local artisans, have custom murals, and contribute to the vibrancy of the community as a whole. Local art solidifies retailers' dedication to certain neighborhoods giving them a competitive edge over other brick-and-mortar locations in the area. 

Patagonia Charlotte. (2024). Mural created by local artist Kathryn Crawford. https://www.kathryncrawfordart.com/

In Patagonia Charlotte, we worked with local artist, Kathryn Crawford, to help bring the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains inside the store.

Snowpeak Portland Flagship. (2020) Snowpeak.com https://www.snowpeak.com/blogs/explore/inside-hq4-flagship-retail

The Snowpeak flagship store in Portland was designed with “pieces of Portland” placed throughout the entire store. From having literal wood that was sourced from buildings being demolished in Portland to lighting fixtures created by the Portland Garment factory, this store is the essence of Portland. Every detail shows customers that this Snowpeak store is dedicated to making Portland its home. 

5. Community Spaces give Retailers Memorable Opportunities for Storytelling.

Every retailer needs to include storytelling aspects in their store design, but community spaces give storytelling aspects a place to shine. Since people are already lingering, community spaces are the perfect environment to engage in longer-format storytelling to share your brand’s identity. 

Patagonia Chicago. (2022. Photographer: Shawn M. Pridgen.

In Patagonia Chicago, we highlighted local groups on the columns in this space and had a coffee table installation that spoke about the brand’s history and identity.

Wilson NYC. (2023) Retail Design Institute. https://www.retaildesigninstitute.org/post/wilson-new-york-city-51st-international-design-competition-winner

In Wilson’s NYC Pop-up instead of using their wall space in their community area for product, they shared the history of tennis and Wilson’s involvement in the sport. This helped solidify Wilson and the sport of Tennis as one in the consumer's mind. 

Ready to add a Community Space inside your Store?

At Feels on Brand we specialize in helping emerging outdoor brands share their mission with their community through retail experience design. Our offerings range from full-service retail design for retailers with or wanting to open a physical location to branded experience for companies looking to elevate their branded experiences in retail, wholesale, tradeshows, and more.