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This weekend, Warby Parker is debuting its 17th store in New York City at 424 Columbus Avenue by 80th Street—but this one will be a bit different from all the others around town.
Also referred to as the Warby Parker Museum of the Blue-Footed Booby, the space will be home to traditional in-store offerings—think eye exam opportunities and a full assortment of both sun and optical glasses—but it will also function as an ode to the brand's unofficial mascot: the blue-footed booby.
Shoppers will get to gaze at 3D figures of the bird all around the store, plus custom-made artwork by New York-based artists Maira Kalman, Julia Rothman, Nate Padavick and Or Gotham. Think of it as a permanent in-shop exhibition, which feels right on the mark considering that the new location is across the street from the Museum of Natural History.
Warby Parker launched as an online-only business back in 2010, quite literally revolutionizing the glasses industry by offering customers the chance to try on styles at home for free before ordering anything, technically eliminating the need to even step inside a physical space to find new lenses.
Since then, though, the company has set up over 200 brick-and-mortar stores world-wide, starting with the inaugural location on Greene Street, in SoHo, back in 2013.
Clearly, the business model is working, and the company still makes it a point to pay it forward. As of 2022, Warby Parker has distributed over 10 million pairs of glasses to those in need through its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program.