It may surprise you to learn that San Francisco doesn't have a dedicated Warby Parker eyeglass retail store. Or didn't, until now: Next Tuesday, one is opening at 357 Hayes Street.
"Surrounded by independent bookstores (score!) and coffee shops (double score!), we’re so happy to be setting up shop here," says a release from the eyeglass maker. Expect library-inspired bookcases, wood floors, periodicals like n+1, and murals from Lab Partners. "Look closely and you might spot Cafe Trieste, the Mechanics’ Institute Library, City Hall, or even the Tamale Lady," they say of the forthcoming art.
Staff will sport 60's-style uniforms and French work jackets a la Bill Cunningham, and special sunglasses "inspired by San Francisco's sunny days" will be on offer.
Warby Parker carved out a niche with its online business, selling relatively inexpensive but stylish frames and offering an at-home try-on service. This will be the 11th brick and mortar location for the company meaning they get in just under the wire of the neighborhood's formula retail ban. In the past few years, they've sold glasses at hip local spots like The Perish Trust and at a pop-up school bus last year.
Warby Parker stores sell an average of $3,000 per square foot per year, as reports the WSJ. Is that more or less than Hayes Valley real estate is going for now?
Rendering: Courtesy of Warby Parker