The new shoe floor at Bloomingdale’s is officially here. Today, the 59th Street flagship in New York unveiled its newly renovated footwear department, and the space is sure to shake up retail.
Called The Heart of Shoe York, the Bloomingdale’s renovation has combined its original contemporary (2nd floor) and designer (4th floor) shoe floors into a 26,763-square-foot department on the fifth floor, which is double the size of the previous footwear locations. As for the total shoe floor footprint, it’s more than 40,000 square feet.
With over 100 brands offered and nearly 20 new to Bloomingdale’s, the department store is looking to compete — and lead — in the shoe category.
“We are here to win and re-establish ourselves,” said Jennifer Jones, Bloomingdale’s operating vice president and divisional merchandise manager of women’s shoes. “You can come and find anything, from contemporary to designer. And any trend you want to hit, we are going to have it for any of our customers. Some things we wanted for the opening was a super-expanded assortment and not just taking what we had and moving it up to a new floor. We really amped it up.”
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This makeover doesn’t revolve solely around the floor’s new aesthetic; the revival also comes from within.
Bloomingdale’s has brought on new brands in the luxury market — including Brian Atwood, Givenchy, Oscar de la Renta, Sophia Webster and Tabitha Simmons — along with creating nine shop-in-shops in its designer shoe salon. The addition of Jimmy Choo and its salon shop, for instance, will have a focus on bridal and is new to the flagship.
Plus, designers, such as Gucci, Sam Edelman, Dior, SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker and Dolce Vita, were tapped to create exclusive styles just for the 59th Street location in celebration of the launch. “The intention is to keep that momentum going with [designer exclusives],” added Jones.
In addition to the luxury assortment, Bloomingdale’s has put an emphasis on its contemporary and fast-fashion business with new brands including Aqua, Castaner, Chiara Ferragni, Creatures of Comfort, Joshua Sanders, Kenzo, P448, Schutz and Zespa. Tory Burch and Stuart Weitzman will also be featured in branded shops.
“What’s important about The Showroom [space] and the floor [as a whole] is that, yes, it’s about luxury, but it’s also about emerging brands and contemporary. It’s showing our customer that she has a lot of different choices and that we can service all of these different customers,” Erica Russo, Bloomingdale’s VP of fashion direction accessories and cosmetics, told FN. “It’s also about the experience and shopping and bringing that theatric back to retail and knowing that there’s a place to go to find what you need and have a great time. That’s what Bloomingdale’s stands for.”
As for experience, shoppers will have access to M.Gemi‘s fit shop, Margaux’s custom ballet flats and a shoe repair service. Throughout April, Bloomingdale’s is also offering meet and greets with designers such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Brian Atwood and more.
For an inside look at the new shoe floor, click through the gallery below.
