Arc’teryx Equipment (North Vancouver, B.C.) has opened its first store dedicated exclusively to climbing. Located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in the Los Angeles beachfront neighborhood of Venice, the space represents “the next evolution of Arc’teryx’s presence in Southern California,” the company said in a news release.
The new store pairs a curated, climb-focused assortment with a climbing wall, a lounge, an outdoor patio and a beta board, giving local climbers a place to gather, train, learn, and connect. It is the brand’s fourth location in Los Angeles and fifth in Southern California.
“With Abbot Kinney, we’re creating a new expression of our climbing heritage for Los Angeles — preserving the character of an existing building while designing a flexible space that can move between retail, climbing and community programming,” said Delaney Schweitzer, GM Arc’teryx, North America. “It’s a different kind of retail experience, grounded in the sport culture that has always defined Arc’teryx.”
Flexible fixtures allow the retail floor to be configured for films, workshops, talks and other events. Interspersed throughout the store are large-scale athlete imagery paired with in-depth displays featuring photographs, artifacts, books and written narratives about historic ascents.
Overall, Arc’teryx has 160-plus branded stores, and its products are also available in more than 2,400 other retail locations worldwide.