Bonobos

[Pete]

Bonobos to bring first Oklahoma retail location to Classen Curve; Roxy's also joining

Popular on-line men's apparrel company Bonobos will soon open what it calls a “Guideshop" in Classen Curve.

Originally founded as an exclusively on-line retailer in 2007 by Stanford Business School Students, Bonobos now has almost 50 retail outlets where it carries all of its offerings under one roof, but stocks none of them.

Either by walk-in or by appointment, a Bonobos 'guide' will explain the process and provide one-on-one attention as they lead you through what is essentially a showroom for clothing.

Customers can place their order and receive free shipping. All sizes, colors, fits, and fabrics are on hand for viewing and try-on.

The 1,500 square foot store will be located just east of Warby Parker which is currently under construction. Both will occupy part of the now-closed Uptown Kids space.

Headquartered in New York, the company is considered by many as a model for a new era of blending in-person shopping with electronic commerce.

Bonobos was acquired by Walmart in June of 2017.

Since national mall developer Washington Prime purchased Classen Curve and Nichols Hills Plaza from Chesapeake Energy in 2014, they have brought many new retailers to Oklahoma City such as West Elm, Trader Joe's, Rye 51, Cos Bar, Kendra Scott, Athleta, Evereve, Soft Surroundings and more.

OKCTalk also recently reported that Nichols Hills Plaza is being expanded to include Hopdoddy Burger Bar and a drive-thru Starbuck's. Hollywood Feed, a seller of natural pet foods, recently opened near Trader Joe's.

Roxy's Ice Cream Social has already started construction on its 4th OKC area location, taking 900 square feet between West Elm and Zoe's in the Triangle at Classen Curve.

Roxy's started as a popular food truck then opened its first brick and mortar location in the Plaza District. Other recently-opened locations include NW 122nd and MacArthur and on Covell near Kelly in Edmond.

[jonny d]

Love love love!

[Pete]

Washington Prime continues to bring in lots of great retailers, many completely new to OKC and the state.

[jonny d]

Washington Prime continues to bring in lots of great retailers, many completely new to OKC and the state.

Just think once they get to developing that new expansion (the one in legal limbo). Hopefully that gets cleared up quickly!

[Pete]

Very quietly, they have also almost completely filled Nichols Hills Plaza as well.

They also have the 2 completely new retail buildings at Classen Curve with one fully occupied and the other completely empty.

I believe they will fill that other building once we get some distance from the holidays.

[Timshel]

Absolutely love Bonobos and pumped that they're coming - but I don't know how I feel about this concept, which, unless I'm missing something, still requires you to order online. I can see myself going to get fitted for a new type of clothing (I already know my Bonobos pant size), but I can't imagine why I would otherwise go in rather than look and order online, which would happen if I went in the store anyway. Am I crazy?

[Pete]

Absolutely love Bonobos and pumped that they're coming - but I don't know how I feel about this concept, which, unless I'm missing something, still requires you to order online. I can see myself going to get fitted for a new type of clothing (I already know my Bonobos pant size), but I can't imagine why I would otherwise go in rather than look and order online, which would happen if I went in the store anyway. Am I crazy?

The idea is that you can make an appointment, get 1-on-1 attention, see/touch/try-on everything they offer then the order will be placed straight from the store.

I think it's wicked smart. Clothing is very hard to buy on-line... I would say most the time once I get it I return it because it looks/fits different than expected.

They are opening a lot of these and have experienced good success.

[Timshel]

The idea is that you can make an appointment, get 1-on-1 attention, see/touch/try-on everything they offer then the order will be placed straight from the store.

I think it's wicked smart. Clothing is very hard to buy on-line... I would say most the time once I get it I return it because it looks/fits different than expected.

They are opening a lot of these and have experienced good success.

Well that's good. Definitely glad they're coming to OKC. Just doesn't mesh with my buying habits. For example, for buying a pair of dress pants at J Crew, I will go into the store once to get sized and buy an initial pair (which I probably did eight years ago) and then buy that same size and line, in various fabrics, designs, etc. online thereafter (adjusting for a slowing metabolism along the way ). That said, I'm curious to check it out and hope I love it, as I really like Bonobos' products.

[Pete]

I do agree that not getting the instant gratification of going to a store and coming out with merchandise might not be for everyone.

I don't even like that with most on-line shopping even when I'm in no rush. When my card is charged, I want something in my hand.

[Timshel]

^

Agreed. I imagine there will be some heavy customer education over the first few months for people not aware of the brand and concept.

[TeeDub2]

I went to their soft opening last night and I think they're officially open today. Really nice inside, but kind of a smaller space. The clothes are awesome but on the pricier side. The 'guideshop' style is an interesting take, but does make it feel more upscale. I personally like instant gratification if I decide to leave my bed to buy clothes nowadays. They were also giving away smaller framed kanaly murals as raffle prizes. He is really blowing up lately.

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

I received a mailer magazine the other day for this place.

[Pete]

Now open.