Raincouver rejoice — Vessi's first ever retail outlet in Metro Vancouver is now open.
On Nov. 10, Vessi, makers of Vancouver’s famous waterproof sneakers, opened the doors to their first permanent retail store in Burnaby's Metropolis at Metrotown.
Shoppers can get a sneak peak of their full range of footwear and try on limited edition collection footwear before bringing them home right in time for the drizzly weather.
The new store which occupies the former "Call it Spring" space, next to Armani Exchange in Metropolis at Metrotown, spans around 1,000 square feet and has been designed to pay homage to the brand’s hometown, the city of Vancouver.
The design includes a wall that reflects Vancouver's twin focus on nature and urbanism — mountains, concrete and grass. Shoppers can also get a one-of-a-kind "immersive" shopping experience where they can put Vessi's shoes to the test with the "interactive water features."
To encourage shoppers to brave the weather and visit the store, they are also featuring limited-edition store-only items designed by local Vancouver artist Cynthia Vo, including pins, a tote and postcards.
“We’re incredibly proud to open Vessi’s very first retail store in our hometown when we started off with a humble Kickstarter campaign 4 years ago” said Vessi co-founder Mikaella Go. “We attribute a lot of our success to the strength of our community. Listening to our fans has been a big commitment of ours and we heard that they want an in-person shopping experience in Vancouver. It was a no-brainer for us to open up our first store in the city we love and live and work in. We’re excited to meet our existing customers in-person and to introduce more customers into the Vessi community.”
Line-ups at the store continue to be long a week after opening.
"The retail store is one of the ways Vessi is expanding and fuelling growth in target markets," the company said. "In addition to this permanent retail store, Vessi will be testing additional markets with pop-up stores in other Canadian cities, and will be continuing to build its presence in U.S. markets through pop-up trunk shows at select Nordstrom locations."
As holiday shopping approaches, the company is offering Black Friday deals both in store and online.
