It’s practically commonplace these days to walk into a boutique in Brooklyn or L.A. to check out a shirt on the rack and end up sticking around with not only a new outfit in hand, but a latte or even a pressed juice and a magazine. The lifestyle trend of adding a cafe onto a retail space—which recently caught on with luxury brands looking to boost “dwell time” and increase sales—hasn’t gone unnoticed by entrepreneurs hoping to engage the young, experience-seeking Chinese consumer. In fact, some homegrown retailers in China are taking things a step further by hosting in-store pop-ups and events like fitness classes and afternoon tea.

When globetrotter Austin Huang opened his shop Artemis in Beijing’s Taikoo Li shopping center this spring, he didn’t have a particular target demographic in mind. He only had one stipulation: they had to love life. His boutique is thus stocked with artfully inspired lifestyle products, most imported from Europe and Hong Kong, China, that would appeal to a wide range of people. For the travel-hungry, there are notebooks and passport holders. For the pet lovers, there are Barketek dog dishes. For the affluent who want to decorate their newly acquired home, there are designer candles by Lola James Harper, kitchen tools by Diesel, and designer furniture. The curation is displayed in a playful, contemporary corner space designed by Kevin Zhao, who ties in the store’s Scandinavian-inspired concepts to inspiration from travels around Europe. On top of it all, Artemis brings shoppers another layer of lifestyle: food, beverages, and events.

“Maybe I opened Artemis during an economic slowdown, but I don’t think retail is dead,” said Huang, who comes from a background of shopping mall market analysis, promotion, and marketing. “It just needs to be refreshed.”

Huang is working with the founder of Beijing-based restaurant Transit, Catalin T. Ichim, to create a menu that would give consumers a taste of a growing trend in Beijing—Nordic food (late last year, high-end dining space The Georg opened to huge praise and attention). He is serving up smørrebrød (Danish open-faced sandwiches) alongside pastries and other snacks. They’re also selling their own coffee, roasted in collaboration with Hong Kong, China’s 18 Grams, as well as Spanish-style gin and tonic to encourage customers to spend time there after work. “Younger Beijingers have reached a stage where they know their alcohol,” he said. “Therefore, we’re focusing more on the gin and tonic segment.”

All of it can be enjoyed within the shopping space alongside copies of Monocle, Fantastic Man, and the numerous other lifestyle magazines they have on hand.

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(Source: jingdaily)