San Francisco Citizen

EXPRESS, Inc has just announced what it’s going to do with the former Gold Dust Lounge on Geary in Union Square – it seems we’re going to be blessed with a 16,000-square-foot “flagship” store.

Here’s what EXPRESS has to say about it:

“Located at 301 Geary Street, the Union Square location is comprised of approximately 16,000 square feet and will feature two floors, plus a mezzanine, of selling space.  One of the vacating tenants delayed Express taking possession of the space.  The property is owned by Handlery Hotels, Inc.”

Yes, that delay was the talk of the town.

Anyway, bygones.

I think this is it, a “dual-gender Denim Lab” as seen in Pennsylvania’s King of Prussia town, an East Coast version of Emeryville I guess: 

Click to expand – more shots at the RetailDesignBlog

All right, together now:

Dual-Gender Denim Lab!

Dual-Gender Denim Lab!

Dual-Gender Denim Lab!

Myself, I just got a pair of “Kirkland” jeans on sale at our dual-gender Costco #144 in SoMA. $11-something. (Now that was a deal because normally they’re $13-something. And I remember when they were just $12-something, back in the day. Ah mem’ries…)

All the deets:

“COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 23, 2012  – Express, Inc. (NYSE: EXPR), a specialty retail apparel chain operating over 600 stores, today announced that the company will open two flagship locations in Times Square in New York City and Union Square in San Francisco.  Both locations are scheduled to open in 2013.  Union Square, located at the corner of Powell and Geary streets, is scheduled to open next summer; and Times Square, located at the corner of 46(th) Street and Broadway – in the heart of the Bowtie – is scheduled to open in the fall.

“We are extremely excited to officially announce both of these flagship locations for 2013,” said Michael Weiss, chairman, president & CEO of Express, Inc.  ”The age old mantra of ‘location, location, location’ was certainly at work in the selection of these two properties.  These flagships will not only reflect the strength of our fashion authority within these two cities, but also serve as a gateway to our brand for international visitors and shoppers as part of our international expansion strategy,” he added.

Times Square: Located at 1552 Broadway, the Times Square location is comprised of approximately 30,000 square feet and will feature three selling floors.  The prominent location also includes a 125 foot tall, 9,000 square foot LED sign package on the facade of the building facing Broadway.  The property is owned by joint venture partners SL Green Realty Corp. and Jeff Sutton.

Union Square: Located at 301 Geary Street, the Union Square location is comprised of approximately 16,000 square feet and will feature two floors, plus a mezzanine, of selling space.  One of the vacating tenants delayed Express taking possession of the space.  The property is owned by Handlery Hotels, Inc.

Both locations will be constructed in Express’ new store design created by Japanese design firm, Wonderwall.  With uptown finishes and downtown cool, the store features design elements of refined chic and forward-thinking composition that creates individual spaces with a sense of style.  Divided into three sections of Men’s, Women’s and a dual-gender Denim Lab, products are divided by lifestyle categories and outfitted by gender.  A refined Express brand is conveyed through the use of modern industrial fixtures, displays and textures.  Mortar walls and concrete floors create an open, expansive space accented with aged oak wood floors.  Glossy white walls divide the space into rooms and provide a dynamic contrast to the natural wood outrigger shelving system.

About Express, Inc.:
Express is a specialty apparel and accessories retailer of women’s and men’s merchandise, targeting the 20 to 30 year old customer.  The Company has over 30 years of experience offering a distinct combination of fashion and quality for multiple lifestyle occasions at an attractive value addressing fashion needs across work, casual, jeanswear, and going-out occasions.  The Company currently operates over 600 retail stores, located primarily in high-traffic shopping malls, lifestyle centers, and street locations across the United States, in Canada and in Puerto Rico, and also distributes its products through the Company’s e-commerce website, www.express.com.”