It’s always exciting when a new Anthropologie store opens! I love seeing how each store is decorated and what the dress forms are wearing. Recently Lola had a chance to visit one of Anthro’s newest B&Ms (brick & mortar) in Cambridge, MA. Below is her report, complete with drool-worthy pictures. Get ready to be amazed by the Octopus photo below. (And kudos to the team that created it!!) Interested in writing a guest post? Email me or click the “contact” link near the top of the blog. On to the report…
A brand-new Anthropologie store opened last month in Cambridge, MA. For those who are unfamiliar with the Boston area, Cambridge is a city that is located across the Charles River from Boston (most non-locals think of Cambridge as a neighborhood in Boston). It is most well-known for being home to Harvard University and MIT.
The new Anthropologie store is located inside of the former Design Research headquarters, a large floor-to-ceiling glass building that earned architect Benjamin Thompson the prestigious Twenty-Five Year award from the American Institute of Architects. The building was designed to ‘turn the entire store into a display case, bringing the shop out into the street.’ It definitely accomplished this goal — while I was taking pictures of the exterior of the building, most of the pedestrians walking past it were turning their heads to examine the window displays.
The space is fitting for Anthropologie not only because of its beautiful display capabilities, but also because of its storied history. Design Research was created under the premise that ‘good design should be accessible to everyone.’ Design Research was significant because it brought upholstery and furniture created by high-end designers like Marimekko and Charles and Ray Eames to a broader range of people, much as Anthropologie has provided us with access to affordable designs by Anna Sui, Ruffian and, of course, Marimekko.
The Cambridge store has five stories (although only one of them takes up the full length of the store).
One of the rooms seems to have a Harvard/MIT theme. In addition to being painted crimson (Harvard’s color) and having various pennants on the wall, I found an abacus hiding among the sweaters and several bins of No. 2 pencils attached to a skirt rack.
The entire store has a nautical theme. The sail on this two-story boat was made with Marimekko fabric, in homage to the store’s former use as the Design Research headquarters.
Other little touches of Boston culture could be seen in the seafood-themed displays. The adorable seafood critters were made from fabric scraps and assorted buttons!
The dressing rooms at the Cambridge store are some of the nicest that I’ve seen. The wood-paneled wall contains a coat hook, a shelf (for items without hangers) and a large rack for items with hangers. Each room also contains an adorable three-legged stool with mismatched legs.
The only disappointing part about the Cambridge store is that the sale section is difficult to find (it’s on the top floor in a tiny, windowless room that is easy to miss). I’m hoping that the sale section will expand as the store starts to amass a larger collection of ‘old’ items that it needs to get rid of!
