Glossier, the millennial-friendly makeup brand with a cult following, is coming to Williamsburg!
The brand announced on Instagram that they plan to open a Brooklyn location in fall 2022, alongside summer openings for stores in Washington DC, Atlanta, and a fall opening for Philadelphia. No physical address has yet been provided, but a Glossier representative confirmed to WWD that the store will be located at North 6th and Wythe.
The new Williamsburg store will serve as a bit of a homecoming for the brand, which shut down its flagship location in SoHo in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though Glossier originated in New York City, they have spent the last few years largely building up its footprint around the world, opening stores in London, Seattle, and Miami, to name a few.
Now, alongside several other major retailers, Glossier is betting on this current Williamsburg retail boom to make the return to in-person shopping.
Glossier, founded by Emily Weiss in 2014, started as a direct-to-consumer enterprise, eschewing major beauty retailers like Sephora in favor of building up a dedicated fan base of cool girls. Originally offering only a few core products, it helped pioneer the “no makeup makeup” approach, emphasizing clean, dewy skin.
The brand grew quickly but faced challenges over the past couple of years. In 2020, former employees banded together to call out the racism and poor working conditions they experienced while working there. This January, the brand laid off more than 80 employees, accounting for about one-third of its staff. The following May, Emily Weiss resigned as CEO, though retained her position as executive chairwoman.
Last month, new CEO Kyle Leahy announced that Glossier will now be available to purchase in Sephora, signaling a new, more accessible era. Recently, brands such as Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty and Ilia have been running with the gauntlet thrown down by Glossier to capitalize on the effortless, dewy skin look. Will consumers still flock to the brand now that their options have expanded?
And now, a personal plea from myself, a former Glossier obsessive. Could we please put an age limit on these stores? As nice as it was to shop in person at the SoHo location, I quickly grew overwhelmed by the 12-year-olds with perfect skin moving in hordes across the tiny space.