New Balance (Boston) has installed a shop-in-shop in the Atmos (Tokyo) store located in Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. Dubbed the NBSE (pronounced “the Embassy”) as a nod to its surrounding city, the space offers exclusive New Balance apparel and footwear and is also a home for community events.
The centerpiece of the installation is crafted maple-wood fixture, inspired by Atmos’ Japanese heritage, that showcases custom responsive lighting panels, a DJ booth and exclusive New Balance footwear and apparel. Modular furniture sets the stage for various events that will be hosted in the space.
“New Balance and Atmos have a storied relationship that dates back many years to both of our Japan teams,” Mel Peralta, VP of Brand at Atmos Global, said in a statement about the store emailed to Retail Dive. “To be able to launch this exclusive experience at our Georgetown store, in the heart of the DMV and with an area that loves NB like no other, is really exciting for us as a brand and a team. I think we will bring the D.C. area a special New Balance-focused experience that they will love and hopefully support for the months to come.”
The shop-in-shop concept is one of several physical store concepts New Balance has been experimenting with, including community-centric locales in Guangzhou, China, and Boston.
New Balance is owned by Jim Davis and his family, who bought it in 1972, and Atmos became a unit of Foot Locker Inc. (New York) in 2021.