Planet Blue Opening NY Store in SoHo

Retail

As of Thursday, March 31, 2016

Planet Blue will take its sun-kissed, California lifestyle to Manhattan’s urbane SoHo neighborhood.

It will open its 12th store, at 191 Lafayette St., on the corner of Broome Street, on May 1, said David Lindell, vice president of retail at Planet Blue.

“New York City has always been our No. 2 e-commerce market,” he said. “It is high time that we bring the excitement of bricks-and-mortar to SoHo.” The company also ran a popular New York–area pop-up shop in the Hamptons, on Long Island, in summer 2015.

The veteran Santa Monica retailer also believes that no other specialty retailer in New York can offer its depth and breadth of brands. Planet Blue’s brand mix includes Night Cap, For Love and Lemons, Jen’s Pirate Booty, Wildfox and the house brand, Blue Life.

The store’s strongest season will be summer, Lindell said. But he also expects big business in winter, when New Yorkers buy beach lifestyle clothes and wear them for vacations to the Caribbean.

The SoHo store was designed by Planet Blue Founder Ling-Su Chinn. The two-level, 2,400-square-foot store will feature exposed brick and a painted blue tie-dye mural as well as a lounge area.

Planet Blue will continue opening physical stores. This summer it is scheduled to open a beach-side shop in the Lido Marina Village district in Newport Beach, Calif.